The Urchin and the Diva
by Bronyz4ever90
Summary: A lowly urchin boy finds himself in another universe, and in the company of a certain, love seeking unicorn. Will she be able to break through the harden defneses that the boy has put around his emotions? Rarity/Human OC. Update: Discord reveals himself! Oh the horror!
1. Chapter 1

_**My little pony: The Urchin and the Princess**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own my little pony, and I thank Lauren Faust for creating something that actually is level headed, and does not talk down to others or pander to anyone's whims. Thank you Lauren Faust.**_

_**From what I've seen about a lot of the brony fanfics here, most of the "human to the mlp world" thing is done with brony fans. I'm going to go for where mlp doesn't even know in this sort of earth.**_

Chapter 1

POW! A medium sized human was tossed into a dirty bedroom, as he went into a roll before banging the back of his head against a set of heated pipes. Immediately siting up as he gripped the back of his skull in pain, he stared up bitterly at his step father. The man gripped a bottle of liquor, as a lit cigar hung from his lips ideally. Spitting on the boys leg, he growled "And next time maybe you won't talk back to me, you worthless piece of trash" the man stated in a raspy voice.

Getting no response from the boy, he slammed the door as the room shook from the tiny impact.

The boy tenderly rubbed the back of his skull, as the sixteen year old grumbled "Damn bastard". Kicking the bed stand with a free foot, he sighed as he got himself to his feet. Dusting himself off from the verbal abuse, he thought over his situation. Life sure as hell had been good for him ever since he had been adopted five years ago.

Jack Conner's life sure was going places!

Going over to the mirror, he stared into the reflection. Amongst the status of rich, average, and poor; he had to say he ranked at piss poor so he didn't look very presentable. His messy black hair partial covered his hetrochromic eyes, a forest green and aqua blue eye glared back at him. Near his lips, was a scar from where he had been punched for trying to help a kid from being bullied. You try and do a good thing, and look what happens.

A black hoodie and white t-shirt, adorned his somewhat muscular build, as he dusted off his faded demine jeans and white sneakers. Running a hand through his hair, he glanced over at where his step dad had left him. In this life, there was only one thing he had to remind himself to every day; expect the worse, and then you can only be surprised. That's what his step dad told him before sucker punching him in the gut.

Trudging himself over towards the window, he glanced outside at the "beautiful" New York City, Manhattan. Opening the window, he leaned against the edge as he felt the nigh air hit his face, comforted by the pleasant breeze. Looking up, a mischievous smirk etched over his features as he climbed out of his window, and up the grated steps towards the roof top.

"May as well do some free running, since Jim's probably drunk" Jack smirked as he observed the next five rooftops across from him. Kneeling down low, he remarked "Three, two, one. GO"! Counting down, he rushed off at a quick pace! Seeing a set of pipes and some containers; Jack leaped and hoisted himself up before jumping from one pipe to the next, legs touching each like a recruit at boot camp had to go through the tires to learn effectiveness.

Going into a roll, Jack continued to run as he vaulted himself across a six feet gap, going into another roll as he continued to run. This was one reason he liked New York: The parkour and free running challenges was endless! Apart from getting into fights with local punks, it was the only other way to really burn off his anger towards Jim whenever he got smacked around.

As he continued to make his way to the last roof top, he halted as he stared down at the city below him. Staring down, he felt his chest tighten at the sight of a couple. A tall, handsome looking dude in a letterman's jacket, with a skimpy and tight looking cheerleading girl. Watching them curiously as they sat at a park bench, Jack watched as the guy whispered something into the girl's ear. This caused her to laugh, before she started to make out with him on the spot.

"Humph" he huffed in annoyance, as he felt slight envy at seeing something he had never experienced before in his life. Then again, who would want to be with someone like him? He was abrasive. Sarcastic, hot headed; he looked and smelled like trash. Someone would have to be blind, deaf and dumb to even want to consider being with him.

Realizing he was complaining, he scolded himself as he turned away from the sight. Staring up at the moon, he realized that there were a lot of stars out tonight. He had never really been a big believer in things that didn't make a lot of sense, or things that were somewhat...magical? He needed living proof if he was going to believe in something. Still, he didn't know why as he stared up at the stars above, he sighed as he started speaking a desire.

"I don't know if the whole "wishes on stars things" is true. Probably is a load of crud" he muttered aloud shaking his head. Staring up once more, he sighed as he said "But, from what I understand I guess I don't really have much to lose huh". No one was really watching, and if he could relay how he felt from the side that he rarely brought out anymore, maybe he'd feel better.

"I...errg…I wish for friends" he started off. That was one thing he lacked now, since he had lost contact with any old friends ever since what had happened five years ago. So, having friends again...being he could rely on, talk to, and trust. That would make him happy. Not done, he continued "And…I wish to be with someone special who is..somehow able to look past all this and..like me for who I am I guess".

Having spoken his wihs aloud, he waited a few moments as he expected to see a shooting star. And yet, nothing happened. Feeling like an idiot for even having done such a thing, Jack let out an angry sigh as he kicked a beer bottle aside as he shoved his hands into his hoodie pockets. "Stupid waste of time, can't believe I just did that" he grumbled as he slowly made his way back towards his "home".

Little did he know, he would be getting his wish in the most unexpected way, and from the most unexpected friends…?

====Meanwhile, at the same time in another universe====

"No, no, no this simply won't do. Perhaps abit of…No that's not good! What about abit..Aggrh, no" an eloquent voice spoke aloud as dresses went flying. Emerging from behind a curtain, a melodramatic unicorn sighed in exasperation as she plopped onto her bed. "Oh it's no good! I can't find something perfect to wear" she complained aloud as she realized she had landed on her mane. "Oh dear" she softly spoke as she quickly sat up and used her magic to restyle her purple mane, sighing as she stared out the window.

In this land of Equestrian, a world dominated by ponies of all types; Earth, Unicorn, and Pegasi; one unicorn had attempted during the Galloping Gala to get together with the "Prince of her dreams". Rarity stared up at the ceiling ideally, as she recalled her feeling of happiness when she was certain that she had, discovered her "love". Prince Blueblood seemed to be everything he appeared to be at first; handsome, suave, and attentive. At least, that's how she pictured he would be in her head.

In reality, he was a self-centered, narcissistic, arrogant jerk who didn't even give her two thoughts! The nerve of that stallion! Letting out a huff of annoyance at thinking of her prince, she had realized that night he wasn't her prince. That meant he was still out there, waiting to be found by her!

Excitement raced through her, as she sat up. "Perhaps he's already here, within ponyville. I just need to pick him out" she thought with glee, before deflating just as fast. If that was the case, then she was certain she would have found him a long time ago to look in the most obvious of places. Putting a hoof to her chin, she mused "Hmm let me think…Ooh! Perhaps this"!

Rushing behind her curtains, she remerged moments later dressed in a violet dress, with a bow tie on the back of it. "Too much" she asked herself as she stared in the mirror, admiring her appearance. "Ha, I think not" she laughed as she turned to go outside as she let out a gasp before tripping. "Oof, what sort of klutz would leave a…book" she said aloud as she gently picked up a thick, purple leathered book. "What is this thing doing here" she demanded as she stared at the cover; another book of spells that…

"Oh right" she said aloud, now remembering. After the Blueblood debacle, she had asked Twilight for a book of spells that she could use to locate her true love. Rarity of course hardly believed in such things as using spells to find her love, but she had been quiet depressed despite trying to appear that it was no big deal. "Hmm.." she mused as she looked outside at the happy residences of Ponyville, feeling a twang of envy at the sight of a few couples hugging one another lovingly.

"Perhaps..One spell. Wouldn't hurt anyone" She admitted aloud as she opened and flipped through the book. She was not Twilight to where her magic was anywhere near as strong as hers, but her magic was powerful enough she believed. As she stopped her hoof on a page, she sighed as she closed her eyes and started to activate the spell as she silently wished to herself. "_I wish to locate my heart's desire, I wish to be with one that can show that he cares and…and that he loves me with his heart" she softly thought. _

As it felt like the spell was about to work.

RARITEEEEEEE!

Gasping as she lost focus, she stared at the front door with annoyance as she trotted and opened it; not surprised to see the energetic Pinkie Pie. "Hello Pinkie Pie, what can I do for you" Rarity asked, masking her irritation for feeling that her spell was about to work.

"Hiya Rarity! Do you wanna go hang out? Whatcha doing right now? I bet its super cool" Pinkie grinned, as she continued to go on to tell about how they should have fun since Rarity had been cooped up inside all day. Notching her dress, she grinned "Oooo, nice dress! What's the occasion"?

Blushing, Rarity said "Ahh, eerr..no occasion. Iiii..Just felt like wearing this today" she spoke, hiding her disappointment as she trotted alongside Pinkie, saddened that her spell hadn't worked. "Perhaps I'll never find any pony for me" she said softly to herself.

"And I want this shipment delivered within the hour, I don't want anyone to suspect a thing" growled Chen as he grabbed his henchmen by the shirt collar and tossed him aside. "Alright people, load up the last of the diamonds on the truck; we're outta here" he called out.

Jack watched the gang silently from behind a dumpster, as the cool air of the night blew through his hair. He had left his house a while ago, and whilst walking around downtown, he had overheard transportation of false diamonds that were made to look authentic and worth millions. They were apparently the best fake ones in the business. What really was the real money was the actual diamond which sat upon a crate in the alley that was a good five feet away from Jack.

"Heh, if I can get that; I'll be able to get myself outta this dump" he grinned to himself. There were about twenty gang members, and what kept Jack alerted was the MAC 11 Uzi's that they were carrying. Really though with the amount of crud he had to put up with, he really didn't care. Some would call him brave or stupid even.

Tiptoeing towards the diamond, he smiled as the soles of his sneakers allowed himself to remain silent, as he gently reached with an outstretched hand towards the diamond, its beauty shinning in the moon light as he licked his lips with anticipation. Now directly behind the crate, he carefully reached up as he grasped and pulled the diamond towards itself. Staring in awe at its beauty, he grinned "I'm rich". Pocketing it, he turned as he slowly started to sneak when...

Bad luck seemed to catch up to him, as he accidentally stepped on to a bottle, shattering it! "HEY YOU" a voice screamed. Panic rushing through him, Jack leaped to his feet as he started to run down a side street through another alley.

"STOP THE BOY" Chen shouted, as he fired a few bullets at the feet of his men, causing them to jump as they began to pursue Jack!

"Oh crap" Jack shouted, as he leaped over some trash cans; kicking them towards the henchmen to slow them down. Watching as it hit the men, he noticed a chain link door ahead. Sliding himself through it, he gasped as he felt his foot was stuck in the door!

"Get out of. Oh" he gawked as suddenly the men came, and tried to open the door, whilst one grabbed his foot and tried to pull him back! "Break it down" one shouted, as Jack kicked "Let go of me" he shouted as he kicked himself free and kept running. Hearing the door kicked open, he looked up as he noticed a clothes line, as well as ahead a large gap that lead to the lower streets. Rushing up some old boxes, Jack leaped as he grabbed the clothes line and went soaring across the gap!

Going into a roll, his momentum crashed him against the wall, as the adrenaline kept him moving. As he rushed for an opening, he blinked as a Garbage truck parked in his way. Crouching down, he scrambled under the large truck, and out onto the other side as he remarked "Got to do better than that"!

Getting up, Jack gasped as some men came out of nowhere from ahead as one of them grabbed him by the shoulders, and kneed him hard in the gut. Feeling the wind sucked out of him, Jack collapsed to his knees gasping in pain as he looked up as the men sneered down at him. "You thought you could rob me and live? You're a fool boy" Chen sneered, as the short black haired, beady eyed boss emerged as he said "Once you're dead, I'll just relive you of what's m…what the hell"!

A bright light enveloped Jack, as he got to his feet in fear; staring down at his hands in shock as he observe the purple light the enveloped them. What was happening? Letting out a scream of shock, the light intensified as Jack felt himself falling as he knew no more…

_**Well, not much on the ponies. More introducing the character of Jack Conner. Tell me what you all think ^_^**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**My little pony: The Urchin and the Princess**_

_**Disclaimer: Do not own MLP. If I did, I'd probably screw it up ^_^**_

_**Chapter 2: Entering a new world**_

Swirling lights and images flashed through Jack's mind as his eyes remained shut. He didn't want to open them, not out of fear of wondering where the heck he was; but out of the nauseous feeling that was within his stomach. Whatever had just happened to him; he felt like he was going to throw up! "Ugggghhh" Jack groaned aloud in pain as could feel warm sunlight hit his face. Shaking his head, he thought to himself "I need to get up".

"Aww, but the grass feels too comfortable" another side of him complained. "Screw you, I'm deciding what I do…wait, why am I arguing with myself" he thought. Opening his eyes slowly, Jack winced as he raised a hand to block the sunlight out of his eyes as he inhaled the morning air. The lush trees swayed in the…wait sec, trees? There were no trees in alleyways.

"Where the hell am I" Jack spoke aloud as he slowly sat up, wincing at the sick feeling. The last thing he had remembered was that he had stolen a diamond that was worth a few billion dollars, and was running away from gangster. Then there was a flash of light and…nothing. What had happened after he had taken the light? Remembering the diamond, he smiled lightly as he reached into his pack and removed it; as he held it up to the sun so he could admire it in the light.

Tossing it up and down lightly, proud of his theft; he remarked "Oh your defiantly going to get me towards living the high life, after I sell you to the right bidder". He sure was going to…going to… Remembering that he was supposed to figure out where he was, Jack slowly glanced around as he could see was in a forest. How did he get out in a forest? Crossing his arms, he mused "Perhaps I passed out and someone put me here or…or I got robbed and was dumped in central park…"

No, that was stupid. This defiantly wasn't central park, since he could see no buildings at all. Getting to his feet, Jack dusted himself off as he scratched his head. "Well, at least this place is nicer looking then home" he commented on the forest natural beauty. He could get used to being around someplace like this. Noticing a small path beset before him, he smiled as he started to follow it. "Well, wherever I am; I'll just follow this road and locate whoever's around".

As he walked, thoughts rushed through his mind. What was that purple light that engulfed him? It was a weird, tingly feeling that shot up through his body and it felt…well, comforting in some way. He didn't know why, but that's just how it felt at the time. Now he felt sick from whatever had happened to him" he thought as he gripped his stomach to keep himself from upchucking.

As he reached the outskirts of the forest, he smiled as he could see the exit ahead. "Great" he smirked, as he rushed towards the exit. He was eager to know if he was even in the same state. For all he knew, he could have been unconscious for days and be like on the other side of the U.S.! Reaching the exit, he blinked as he could see what looked like a town up ahead. Civilization! Awesome! Feeling like everything was going to be okay; he started to approach the town. As he got closer and closer, apprehension crept within him. This apprehension slowly shifted to worry and then to outright fear as he caught sight of the town's citizens.

Hiding behind a tree, Jack stared out at the inhabitants as he couldn't believe his eyes. Rubbing them, he remarked "I gotta be seeing things, th..This just isn't possible" he said slowly as he watched the exchange between a two four legged Equidae'd creatures. Wide eyes, manes, long tail, and…and wings and…a horn…it…

"No…no way" Jack stared, his eyes continuing to widen in a mixture of awe and fear. Horses…this entire town, were filled with horses. Or ponies. He couldn't tell. Jack knew horses had black, brown, and white fur but…these horses were all sorts of colors. Red, blue, green, yellow…what was with all the vibrant colors? It was completely unnatural and…and weird!

Some of them had wings, and horns…that meant that they were…umm. Putting a hand to his head, he tried to remember what they were called as he snapped his fingers. Pegasus and Unicorns! That was it! But those things were myth, legend…freakin fairy tale crap! Was he in a storybook, or was he dreaming? He was defiantly thinking about voting for dreaming! Reaching up, he pinched himself.

"Ow" he grunted, as he rubbed his cheek. He felt pain so; did that mean he was not dreaming? Grunting, he wasn't satisfied as he slapped himself harder. He defintly felt that, so he knew he wasn't dreaming. Laughing weakly, he remarked "Oh man, he was in a town that was completely run by ponies! Ponies! Squinting his eyes, he couldn't see a single human in sight. A few of the ponies were wearing hats, or doing occupations that humans did. Perhaps that light had sent him into an alternative universe or world...

"Theirs other ideas…maybe I'm just crazy, or I'm on something really strong" he grunted, remembering how he had snuck a few beers last night. Sighing, he put a hand to his chin as he thought "Whatever the reason or how I got here, I need to find a way to get back to New York..or at least somewhere where humans reside".

Hearing a groaning sound, he blinked as he held his gut as he blushed lightly at the sound of his stomach growling. "First, I need to get some food" he thought. No sense worrying on an empty stomach. Spotting a stand of apples being sold, Jack smirked as he thought "Well, let's see if I can get some grub". Going behind a tree, he stared at the stand as he saw no one was operating it, apart from the two stallion's chatting in front of it.

Diving behind one tree to the next, Jack smirked as he let out a tiny gasp as one pony looked in his direction. Hiding, he peeked out to see that the stallion had glanced away again. Grinning, he dove behind the apple stand as he reached up slowly with an eager hand, as he gripped an apple. Snatching it outta sight, he brought it up to his mouth as he sniffed. Apples usually don't have much of a scent on first impression but this…wow! It smelled incredible.

Taking a bite, Jack sighed as he leaned against the stand as he thought "It's like the fruit of the freakin gods"! It was surprisingly filling, then again considering how he hadn't eaten in a good awhile, anything would taste good. He defiantly had to come back and get another sometime. As he finished it off, he decided one more wouldn't hurt.

WHAP! Jack froze as he felt a strong pressure grab his hand out of midair. A strong force yanked him up into sight, as he collided against the table as he stared at whatever had grabbed him. Eyes widening, he stared as a pony, wearing a cowgirl's hat; blonde mane in a pigtails style and orange fur stared back at him in equal shock. Judging from the look on her face, she was trying to determine what he was.

"What in sam hill are you" She spoke, a southern twang evident in her voice. Applejack had been running her stand, had stepped away for a moment when she noticed something snatch an apple from behind her stand. Not about to let some pony bum a free apple, she grabbed the..claw…thing and ripped it up, but..She didn't expect to see..see…whatever it was she was looking at. No hooves, its mane was extremely short, no fur or tail. It was wearing clothes…what was this thing?

"It spoke" Jack thought, terror racing through his mind as he tried to think of an explanation of how it was able to talk. Perhaps it was radiation, or this world allowed other ponies to talk. Or maybe he was just crazy. Gasping as he felt the ponies grasp on his hand tighten, she spoke "I'm not quite sure what you are, but I'm not about to let an apple thief just run away". Oh that did it, he had to get away! B..but how!

Staring at the other stallions, which were looking at him apprehensively, a devious idea came to mind as he thought to himself "Need a way out". Pointing behind Apple and the stallions dramatically, his eyes widened as his mouth gapped before shouting "What the hell is that"! Right when the ponies looked in that direction in shock, Jack smirked as he made his move. Ripping his hand free from the ponies grasp, he snatched an apple as he leaped over the stand and started running toward the town. "Suckers" he shouted, grinning!

"Why you good fer nothing" Applejack swore, growling that she had been tricked like that. Leaping over her stand, she gasped as she her one of her back hooves caught the edge of the table, causing her to go tumbling into the two stallions; ending up with a pony pile comprised of groaning, and pain.

Seem's running blind into town wasn't the smartest thing he had ever done, as ponies immediately began to point at him. What is that thing? Is it dangerous? What if it's a monster? Putting a hand to his chin, as the ponies were staring at him with a mixture of awe and fear; he thought "Maybe I should go out and say I'm a monster. Scare a few of em away". This was quickly stifled as he heard an angry shout from behind him. "Some pony grabs that thief" the cowgirl pony shouted as she was now charging towards him.

AJ had no idea what that thing was, but is sure as heck wasn't gonna make a fool outta her and get away with it! Spotting Dash up in the skies patrolling, she shouted "Hey Dash! Catch that thing"! She wasn't about to let some apple theft get away from her!

"Oh crap" Jack shouted at seeing the steaming cowpony, as he turned and started rushing through town! Charging straight ahead towards a group of ponies huddled in fear as he approached, he smirked as he saw one of em lower its back down as he covered his head in fear. "Perfect" Jack shouted as he leaped! Using his momentum, he landed a foot on the back as he used the boost to shoot himself up into the air.

This proved fatal on his part as something came flying outta nowhere, and collided with him; picking him up in mid-air.

Dash had been patrolling the skies that day, and practicing her speed. Nothing too special. When she started to hear shouting coming from the town below, the last thing she expected was to see some weird looking creature; running away from an enraged Apple Jack! When she heard for her to catch the thing, she smirked confidently as she zoomed in low and caught the thing in one of her hooves. **(A/N:I don't know how they can catch things with hooves. It's cartoon logic, go with it O_O )**

"Alright punk! You'd better apologize to my friend before I make you" a voice demanded angrily. Staring at what had caught him, he blinked as he found himself staring at a rainbow marred, and blue furred Pegasus. From how she spoke, she defiantly seemed the athletic type of pony. If she we're human, she'd probably be someone he might get along with.

Rainbow Dash looked the weirdo up and down. Defiantly wasn't a pony, had fingers or claws kinda like spike; but that was where any similarities ended really. It was like a furless monkey!

Realizing she was still flying straight ahead; Jack's eyes averred around as he looked for an escape route of some kind. Spotting it, his look of fear turned into arrogance as he flashed a cocky grin. "You know what" he spoke to the Pegasus.

Dash blinked in surprise, her confidence briefly stifled as she didn't expect the thing was capable of speech. "What" she demanded, her confidence returning just as fast. She raised a brow as the thing cocked a thumb up.

"Head's up" Jack answered simply, as he watched the Pegasus look up in confusion just in time to slam into a clothesline. Feeling her release him, Jack reached out a free hand as he gripped a clothesline and yanked. Feeling himself go down flying as he held on, he couldn't help but laugh at the adrenaline that the situation was providing him. Letting out a Tarzan call; he froze in terror as he could see he was heading straight towards a wall!

"Oooooohhhh Craaaaaaaaaaaaap" he shouted as he quickly swung himself around to his back would take the full blunt of the force! The momentum that carried him, smacked him against the wall with a thud! Letting go of the clothesline, Jake groaned as landed on his knees. "Oww…okay…I'm gonna feel that one later on" he grunted in pain as he raised his head, shaking it in pain. Man, maybe he just shouldn't have gotten out of bed today. He probably wouldn't even be in this situation!

"Their he is! Don't let him get away" Applejack shouted to Rainbow Dash, who had managed to untangle herself from the clothes! Now their we're two pissed off ponies who most likely wanted to wring the human's neck! AJ narrowed her eyes as she swore "Your gunna pay for that earlier".

"OOoo, that was not cool! No pony does that to me and gets away with it" Rainbow Dash declared as she spotted the thing! Whatever it was, it just humiliated her on the spot with that cheap ploy! It was so payback time!

"Not you two again" Jack swore as he got back up, and released he was on a side street! Rushing through the side street at high speed. Glancing at the flat walls, he looked up and noticed a high fence up ahead as well as a flag pole near the wall. Getting an idea, Jake jumped up, and kicked off the wall towards the other one. Kicking off that, he repeated the process until he reached the flag pole. Grasping it, he started to swing in a vertical movement as he heaved himself over the fence and back into the streets as he collided with another pony!

Twilight Sparkle was doing some shopping for more books, as she felt that she needed to expand her knowledge on spell casting. In fact, she had been looking through her library on spells that were strong enough to breach other universes, if such things even existed. As she trotted happily down the street, she blinked as she heard yelling coming from near the town square. "Huh, I wonder what's going..OOf" she gasped as something collided with her.

Groaning, she sat up rubbing the side of her head to see something was lying on her stomach. Staring hard at the short manned creature; her eyes widened as it slowly got up and she caught sight of the bipedal creature that. Was clothed, had a small mane and..its eyes were two different colors! What was this strange creature?

Jack blinked as he stared back at a multi purple manned…unicorn? "Time and place, time and place" Jack spoke aloud as he quickly got to his feet. Seeing that he had made her drop her books, he frowned as he thought "Well that was kinda dickish of me". Just was he was about to offer to pick the mup for her, the familiar shout of the tomboy Pegasus, and cow girl pony filled his ears. "Sorry" Jack shouted back to the unicorn as he took off running once more!

Twilight blinked in surprise as she saw Dash and AJ go running past her, chasing after the strange looking creature. "Girls" she asked aloud in shock. Quickly picking up her books with her magic, she put them into her knapsack as she started to run after the two.

"Don't they ever give up" Jack shouted aloud, as he could see a small market set up, with ponies shopping all over. "Maybe I can lose them in the crowd" Jack thought as he rushed towards into the market. As he approached the ponies, Jack shouted "OUTTA THE WAY"! Receiving shock stares, Jack rushed through the crowd. "Scuse me, gotta go..Ow..watch it! I don't like it when..oof! Stupid little" he grumbled aloud as he spun around ponies, leaped over stands and continued to bump into ponies.

Pinkie Pie hopped happily through the streets, giggling as she thought "Heh heh, where's a good hiding spot? Maybe I should hide in a barrel? No, too easy. How about behind a stand…or in a mail box! Oo that sounds fun and challenging" the energetic pony giggled as she stared around at the others around her. Rarity and her were playing a game of hide and seek for old time's sakes. Rarity was it! Soooo, now she had to find her.

"OOo, how bout a…WhooooAAAAAAAoooAAAAAAA" she gasped as she was sent into a cartoonish spin as something rushed past her at high speed. Surprised by the sudden movement, she giggled aloud; pleased by the sudden spin as she slowly came to a stop; her eye's spinning in a cartoonish manner. "Heh heh, that was fun" she announced as she spotted Jack running! "Ooooo, whose that? He looks funny! I bet he's alotta fun" she smiled as she started to hop after him; failing to notice her friends run past her.

Seeing the exit to the town, Jack let out a groan. He had only been here for five minutes, and already he had gone and pissed some people off..or ponies off. Something's for him never changed! Getting out of town was his best option for now. He had to lay low, maybe find a way to sneak back in at night and get some more of…Oof!

He let out a gasp a certain, grey furred; blonde Pegasus crashed into him. Being into a roll, Jack groaned as he landed on his back. "Three times in one day, what are the odds" Jack muttered as he sat up scratching the back of his head as she found himself staring at..Eyes that were looking in two different directions. "Uhhhh.." Jack stared as he looked at her in confusion. He was even more confused when the Pegasus reached into her bag, and stuffs a muffin into his teeth.

She then grinned silly like before flying up into the air. Watching her go, Jack took the muffin out as he called "Uhhh…thanks"? That certainly was nice of her…she seemed abit off though?

There's that critter!

Ooo, you're going down weirdo!

Wait, don't hurt it! I need to find out what it is!

Heh heh, we're chasing a funny looking monkey!

"Not again" Jack shouted, as he quickly got back up and ran out into the forest! Great, out here again in some unknown location. Well, town was no better but at least the place was civilized. Or at least he thought it was until he found himself being chased by some of its residents. Ducking behind some of the trees, he watched as the ponies continued running up the path past him.

"Girl's, what's going on here? What was that thing" Twilight asked in exasperation as she trotted up to three of me. All she had planned for today was to go out, and shop for some new book of spells. The last thing she expected to do today was to be chasing some bipedal creature around town. Noticing the enraged looks on AJ's and Dash's faces, Twi raised a brow as she asked "Umm, are you two alright"?

"Alright? Oh I'll be alight as soon as I get my hooves on that apple thief! He went and stole a couple apples from my stand earlier today, and when I went to grab him; the whole stand collapsed" she grunted as she kicked some dust aside aggravated. Usually she was a very mellow pony that was until something tried to steal from her and try and get away with it. Staring at the ground, her anger subsided as a part of her tried to reason. "Maybe it was starving, and just ran when you got angry" she thought. "Well, he still should have payed for those apples" she thought back.

"That stupid monkey thing made me look like a foal when it tricked me into flying into a clothesline; blinding me and sending me sprawling" Dash admitted, though she wasn't about to admit that she flew into the clothesline herself. She had a reputation to keep up after all. Whilst she was mad at whatever it was that ran, she had to admit it was pretty athletic. Those we're some sick move it was pulling for something that had no wings! "Doesn't mean that I like it" she quickly corrected.

"What are you ponies talking about? I think that the monkies alotta fun" Pinkie giggled as she trotted up to the group. She couldn't help but wonder what is was though? Hmm..It had no tail, wings. Its mane was messy and black, whilst it wore multiple clothes over tan skin. Ooo! Ooo, its eyes we're two different colors! Like a cat! That was silly! Maybe it was a large cat with no whiskers, fur or claws?

"Fun or no fun, it needs to take responsibility for stealing property" AJ informed as she kept a sharp eye out for any sign of the thing. If it was in this forest, it wouldn't get very far! She'd find him! Walking forward a few feet, she spoke "Spread out and look around, I'm sure he's here".

Watching the ponies from a safe tree, Jack slid down the tree trunk, as he spoke "Not likely country pony. I'm not that easy to catch". So, they had names? Well, he shouldn't be surprised really with that since this place was defiantly a society of some kind. Smiling, he remarked "Just gotta sneak away for a while, find a way back home and…".

He was cut off by a cry of pain, as he looked around widely for the source of pain. "Where's that coming from" Jack asked to himself. Hearing the cry again, he started to follow the source of it as he said softly "Keep calling out loud, I'll find whatever you are". Spotting a small clearing beyond a group of bushes, he started to make his way through them.

Fluttershy winced as she looked down at her reddened hoof. Fluttershy had been gathering some flowers here in the woods, when she noticed that a weakened tree branch that was about to fall on a family of moles. Feeling her animal protective instincts kick in, she rushed in and saved them; but her hind leg was caught under the trunk. She didn't dare move it, as she was afraid that it would cause more pain to it; but she couldn't go anywhere!

So, she resorted to calling out; hoping that some pony would be nearby to help her out. Wincing as she felt the pain increase, she bit back tears. Well, as long as the moles were safe; it was worth it. She just had to find a way to get herself out now. Hearing something rustle in the bushes, she looked up as she sighed in relief. Some pony had found her! "Oh thank you so much, I don't know what I'd do if you…you".

She was rendered speechless as an animal that she had never seen before stepped into view. Observing its odd appearance; she thought "I wonder what it is". Was it dangerous? Maybe it wasn't here to help her. Maybe it had come here to eat her! Eeping in fear at this thought, she closed her eyes as she looked away; praying that if there was anything decent in this dangerous animal; that it would make it quick!

Jack stared in surprise at the flinching, pink marred Pegasus as he noticed its leg trapped under a large branch. Noticing her whimpering state, and how she was now hiding her head under her hooves; he sighed as he stepped up to her. She was obviously trapped, and in a lot of pain from the branch. Even if she was afraid of him, right thing to do would be to get the branch off of her. Leaning down, he gripped the side of the heavy branch; as he hefted it off of her. "Grrrrrrrrr" he grunted as moved it off. Seeing her still in fear, he sighed as he muttered "Well, theirs my good deed for the day". Hearing someone approach, he snapped "So much for karma" as he rushed into the bushes ahead.

No longer feeling pain, Fluttershy blinked as she slowly opened her eyes. What had happened? Seeing her leg was now free, she gasped lightly as she saw the branch had been moved off of her and the creature was no longer in sight. Coming to the easy conclusion, she slowly smiled. "That was awfully nice of it,…Oh I shouldn't have been so afraid of it" she said softly as she heard her friends approach.

"Oh where has she gone? I told her that this game wouldn't be a lot of fun in my good dress, and I told her to let me go home and change at least; but did she listen? No, she did not" Rarity sighed as she shook her head to the side. Pinkie had been missing for a while now, and apparently forgot to tell that you could hide anywhere! That made finding her a lot more difficult since she could be anywhere at all.

Rarity had been wandering around for a while now, and hadn't payed attention to where she was going. Now she was outside of town at a Cliffside, where below the sea raged. Smiling lightly, she breathed "Well, at least it is a rather lovely day out" she admitted as she tried to reason with herself. Inhaling the afternoon sea air, she stared out over the ocean.

It certainly looked beautiful on a day like this. The sea was boundless after all. Just like love. Realizing she was thinking of that subject again, she blushed lightly as she started speaking aloud. "Well, I'm not to say I'm desperate for love; I'm just saying it would be a nice thing to have in my life. After the disappointing truth of Prince Blueblood; perhaps I should start searching around Equestrian for any pony that is…similar or seems like a good choice".

She wasn't selfish…well, not completely selfish. She'd settle for a countrified pony with buck teeth, acne and… Making a face at the image, she said "Okay, maybe not any pony". Now she was sounding shallow. Beauty after all wasn't just based on outward appearance. "Although in my experience, it helps" she thought to herself. The most handsome of ponies can sometimes turn out to be a complete jerk after all.

Now the pony she was searching for. Why he had to have some good qualities, and not just appaenrace wise! Oh no, there was much more to it than that. Let's see…outspoken, that was a given. She didn't want to be with some pony who didn't speak his mind. Brave!Oh yes, he defiantly had to be brave in the face of great danger! Maybe educated! Playful or perhaps even bit mysterious. She did like stallions that were a mystery! It added more attractiveness to him!

As she continued to list the qualities of what sort of stallion she would like to date in her head, Rarity was interrupted as suddenly something came running out of the bushes and collapsed onto its knees. She couldn't get a very good look at it, but from the way it was hunched over ad how it was pantin loudly; it seemed a lot like a wild dog creature. "St..stay back" Rarity shuddered as being eaten by a wild dog was the one way she didn't want to go! However, watching where she was stepping probably would have been the smart thing to do as she suddenly tripped and fell backwards screaming down the side of the cliff wall.

Freefalling in fear, she reached out with a free hoof as she grasped a large pointy rock as she held on for dear life! Griping it, she gaped as she struggled to hold on, but found it difficult. Whilst she was one of the many beautiful types of unicorn in Equestrian, that didn't help much in the strength department. "OH, this isn't good! Please, some pony help" she called out, resorting to shouting. Perhaps her voice would be carried far enough for some pony to come to her air.

But, maybe she could get herself out! She was only a few inches away from the cliff edge! Attempting to reach up with a free hoof, she it turned out to be much harder then it appeared. "Oh I can't reach it" she complained as her free hoof fell backwards. "Please, I need help" Rarity insisted!

Almost immediately after her call, something loomed down over her at the edge of the cliff. The sunlight shrouded the person's appearance so she couldn't make out what it was, but it was shaped in the form of that wild dog! Had it come to finish her off? Tensing up in fear, the last thing she expected was for it to reach down with an extended hand.

"Grab on" It shouted, its abit gruff but young. Rarity stared at the hand in shock. It wanted to save her? But, why? Wasn't it here to eat her alive? "Do you wanna die or something? Take my hand" the creature demanded, impatience crept into its voice.

Feeling her own ire rise, she shot back "I lack the strength to reach you with my other hoof".

"So you would rather drop to your death, then try and lift your hoof? That's pretty pathetic" the dog snorted in annoyance.

That last statement did not sit well with Rarity. She was NOT pathetic! She would prove it! Feeling strength she did not know she possessed, she reached up with her free hoof and took his hand. The creature grunted as he pulled, and she found herself having to use her own strength to help herself up! She..She was really put off that this creature would save her like this, as she made it back up. Panting, she looked down at her dress. It was now completely dirty, and covered in mud! Ruined! But…at least she was alive.

"Thank you for saving my li…" Rarity stated to say as she could now see what it was that had saved her, causing her to stare. IT wasn't a dog that much was certain. Its hair was a complete mess. Cheeks we're covered in dirt and it wore strange clothes that she didn't think was made in Equestrian style. But the most alluring feature was his eyes. One was an aqua blue, the other a forest green. It was completely mismatched and went against what Rarity liked since she preferred order and neatness, and yet. This was interesting.

"Wow.." she gaped, not knowing what else to say. The creature looked at her apprehensively, looking offended.

"What? I got something on my face" it asked, not liking being stared at like he was some kinda freak.

"Oh no, I simply.." Rarity started to say when suddenly they were attacked! Or he was attacked in this case.

The creature gasped as suddenly a rope was tied around his waist, completely trapping him. Immediately the creature got up as he tried to struggle and breaks himself free; but that only made the rope tighter. Turning around, it let out oof as it was bucked in the chest and onto his back as he hit the ground hard; the force knocking him out.

"That'll teach you" Rainbow Dash snorted as she smirked proudly at her task. She said she'd get back at it, and she did!

"Finally got him roped, and when he wakes up he's gonna answer some questions" Applejack said, as she came in holding the end of the rope that tied up the creature. Staring at Rarity, she gasped "Rarity? Are you alright? It didn't hurt you did it"? She was surprised by the burst of anger on Rarity's usual delicate features.

"Why did you do that? Whatever it was, it just saved my life" Rarity shouted angrily! Taking a furious step towards the two as the others came to join, she said "I almost fell off this cliff, but this thing pulled me up and saved me when it could have killed me! Now, you just went and knocked out the…the…" She paused as she looked down at the unconscious being and asked what every pony had been asking all day.

What is it anyway?

_**Ending it off their. I hope I didn't drag anything out, or overstating things. But please, R&R and tell me what you all think, and if u have suggestions for how things could progress; feel free to tell me. See you next week.**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**My little pony: The Urchin and the Princess**_

_**Disclaimer: Do not own the ponies. **_

_**Chapter 3: Interactions**_

"Ah say we lock em up and throw away the keys!

"Right after I buck him one in the eye"!

"Oh umm..aren't you two being abit judgmental"?

"It truly is a fascinating creature. I don't think we should lock it up".

"It's alotta fun! We should throw it a party! Not lock it up"!

"Enough" Rarity snapped angrily, stomping her hoof loudly to get the attention of the other ponies. She glanced down silently at the unconscious creature that lay on the sofa, on the first floor of Twilight Sparkle's home. After he had been knocked out, the group had snuck it back into town; waiting until it was night so no pony would see him being snuck back. The group was now discussing what was to be done with it. Some wanted it locked up, some were indifferent; and some were interested.

"Have you all forgotten that had this..thing had not been at the cliff's, that it wouldn't have caught me? That I wouldn't even be here" she demanded angrily! Even if it was weird looking, and had an attitude based on the first encounter she had seen from it; it had saved her life when it could have left her! If it truly was dangerous then why would it have saved her? "I owe this creature my life, and I will not see my savior thrown into a prison" Rarity swore loudly.

"Rarity, had this thief not gone and caused a ruckus in town and surprised you; then you wouldn't have gone over the cliff to begin with" Applejack tried to reason as she glared down at the thing. "Heck if it had just stopped running, then I wouldn't have had to chase it and."

"You would have been able to beat the stuffin out of him" Rarity asked, raising a brow as she said. Opening her mouth to reason that it was probably afraid, she blinked when she noticed what Pinkie was doing.

"It sure is silly looking" Pinkie giggled as she rubbed her hoof around its forehead, as she asked "It looks like it has a mane, but it's really, really short". Lifting its back up, she said "And no tail either! It's like a tailless, furless monkey". Opening one of its pupil's she looked into it, as she smiled "Hellooooooooo". She received no response as she put a hoof to her chin as she tried to think of a way to wake it up.

"Pinkie, that's not very nice" Rarity insisted as she trotted next to the creature, shooing Pinkie away from it. Staring down at it smiling, she said "You had no reason to save me…well maybe a small reason" the diva smiled lightly to herself, as she continued "What I just wanted to say was thanks for saving my life, I really appreciate it". She reached down as she gently ran a hoof through its mane, blinking in shock as she could see how dirty it was!

"Ech, dirt" she complained as she removed a tissue from a nearby box and whipped her hoof.

"Well..I guess I can kinda forgive you for the humiliation you caused me back in town" Rainbow Dash grunted, reluctantly. She then quickly raised a hoof "ONLY because you saved Rarity's life". Crossing her hooves, she sighed "Otherwise, I'd deck you one".

Pinkie smiled as blinked and trotted back over to the monkey, as she blinked and noticed a something shinny coming from its pocket. Grinning lightly, she smiled "OOoo". Anticipation started to slowly rise within her at the shiny object; she slowly reached down towards it. Gently gripping the end of what seemed to be a chain, she started to slowly take it out. Giggling, she smiled "I wonder what it is..".

At that moment, Jake chose to open his eyes; consciousness drifting back to his mind as he tried to register what had just happened to him. "_The hell? Where am I…last thing I remember…I ran through a town of ponies, pissed a couple of em off, and saved a unicorn…course that musta been a dream. Yeah, that's right! I'm back in the familiar, crappy apartment with…Oh". _

Jack froze as he locked eyes with a pink pony, with an extremely messy mane. She stared back, equally shocked as Jack slowly looked down and saw her hoof was in his pocket! "What the hell" Jack shouted angrily, as he squirmed to shove this pony away only not able to move his wrist. Sitting upright, he snarled at the pink pony. He wasn't about to let some horse touch his keepsake. Scaring her back, Jack blinked as he looked down to see wrist was tied, and that he was bonded by a rope. Then as he struggled and started to ramble, one thought went through his head. The thought that whilst externally he wished that it was not true, and none of it was real, internally he knew it to be so:

_That wasn't a dream…_

"Where am I? What are you all? Where's the..oof" Jack rambled as he was silenced by a hoof being placed on his chest to silence him. Looking up at who did it, he gulped as he realized it was the Cowgirl pony from earlier. "Ahhh…" he trailed off, as he realized that he was now at the mercy of these ponies. His inner little boy snorted at the sight of these "girly creatures", mocking "_What are they gonna do? Put me in a dress? Apply make up? Force me to attend a tea party"? _

His older, rational side knew better however since they had chased him all over town; probably intending on beating the crud outta him for what he had done. He wasn't about to show he was afraid in front of these ponies. Putting on a stern face, he grunted "So you caught me? If you intend on torturing me, and sacrificing me to you god then best get to it". Fully aware that they were a "mostly" civilized society; he had to suppress a snort of laughter at the sight of their expressions.

AJ shook off the weird statement it said, as she poked him in the chest. "Alright ya theif! We've got you here, and you're gunna answer our question's weather ya like it or not? You will answer everything honestly, or else…" She started to say that they would turn him over to the Royal guard, when she was surprised to see it give a defiant look

"Or what" Jack shot back; unwilling to show he was afraid. Jack prepared to get yelled at some more, but was suspired when she stepped back and the purple unicorn he had bumped into earlier stepped forward. From the look she gave, he could only guess she was here to play peacemaker. Watching as she slowly surrounded him, taking in his appearance; Jack got impatient as he grunted "What?

Realizing she was staring, Twilight smiled weakly "I apologize for staring but, I've simply never come across an animal like you before? A bipedal organism, able to stand on two feet. Lacking any sort of fur to keep itself warm, so it relies's on clothes. An extremely short mane, no wings or horn. Both of its eyes are a different color...".

Jack rolled his eyes at this, as he could only guess that this girl was the brainy type. "This "it" has a name you know? Jack Connor" he said simply as he watched her eyes widened even further. "Yes, my kind has names; shocking isn't it" he sarcastically remarked.

"Hey, there's no need to be rude, she's just trying to find out about you" Rainbow Dash shot back at the weirdo.

Jack glared at her, as he remarked "I can be as rude as I want! I'm in some weird world, surrounded by ponies that shouldn't even exist and being threated by them! How would you react in my situation"?

"Then why did ya go and start robbing me, breaking mah stand" Apple jack said, wanting an answer.

"I was hungry, and didn't know how to pay for anything here since I doubted that this place takes dollar bills" Jack said as he attempted to defend himself. Receiving a death glare from AJ, Jack flinched as he said "Alright, maybe I was hasty at the time and wasn't thinking about anyone else. I hadn't eaten anything all day because my step dad hadn't…" He froze as he noticed the curious looks on their faces.

"What do you mean? Doesn't your folks..." AJ started to say, but was cut off as Jack snapped angrily "That's none of your business". Why would he relay his story to them? Sighing, he said "So, what do you intend to do with me then? Lock me up forever"?

"No one's going to lock you up, we just want to know about you" Twilight said calmly as she used her magic to undo his bonds. "I trust that you won't try any of those moves you were doing earlier to escape" she asked.

"I know that…you must be tired and restless but please just cooperate. I promise that we'll see that your well taken care of" Rarity smiled to the creature, watching as it stared at her in disbelief. It had a look that said "I don't trust you". Well, she trusted it! After all, it had saved her life!

Rubbing his wrist, he stared at Twilight. From what he could see, she seemed to be the studious, bookworm type. "You're placing a lot of trust in something that isn't a pony" Jack said as he sat their staring at her. "That can be dangerous" he warned as he laid his head back. "So c'mon, let's get this Q and A over with" he muttered

Twilight sighed as she said "Alright, what are you

"I'm a human" Jack answered as he watched Twilight's expression become calculating. That response immediately got a slew of reactions and questionable looks on their faces. What was a human? Was it dangerous? We're their more of them?

Fluttershy approached Jack curiously as she looked him over, as he watched her cautiously. "Well, you have a rugged look on you. But, I'm willing to give all new animals a chance. I wonder what you eat though"? Getting that out of her system, she pulled Jack into a light hug; not noticing the intense blush that etched over his face.

"Let…go" Jack said sternly, trying his damnest to hide any uncomfortable tone out of his voice. Watching as Fluttershy let out a light eep before stepping back, he grunted as he dusted himself off.

What was a human? Twilight had never heard of a human before! This was unacceptable! She knew her library of books by heart, and had never seen anything mentioned about humans. She highly doubted that only one existed. Wherever he was from, there must be many humans! That was an idea. Coughing, she asked "Alright then, where are you from"?

"Manhattan, New York" Jack answered, but was caught off guard when the pink pony bounced in front of him. "Someone's on a 24/7 sugar rush I take it" he thought silently.

"SoOoooo Jack! What do you like to do? Do you like parties? I think parties are alott fun! It'll turn that grumpy face upside down" she giggled as she grabbed the sides of his cheeks and moved them up to resemble a smile. Becoming thoughtful, she said "So you're from Manehattan".

Pushing her hooves away, Jack stared "No, I'm from Manhattan".

"But I thought it was called Manehattan" Pinkie responded, looking confused.

Feeling irked at this pony, Jack resorted to sarcasm. "Noooo, its man".

Mane.

Man.

Mane.

MAN!

MANE

MAN!

MANE!

…Mane.

Man.

Mane!

Man!

MANE!

MAN!

MANE!

"It's called Manhattan, and that's final" Pinkie said, stomping her hoof in exasperation. She failed to notice the light grin on Jack's face, who was struggling not to laugh.

"Okay you win, it's called Manhattan" he chuckled. He had to admit that this pony was pretty funny. Whenever he went to internet café's, he would watch amines that usually stared energetic, silly protagonist.

"Heeeeeeeey, you tricked me silly" Pinkie giggled, as she playfully reached over and messed up Jack's hair; getting a laugh from him. Mission accomplished for her! She got him to laugh! That what she always did strive for, to make ponies; or humans in this case laugh to let em know that they had a friend! Oh yeah, she was so looking forward to being Jack's friend!

Jack stared at the pink pony in amusement, as he slowly paused as the other Pegasus approached. She seemed more the shy type from how she wasn't able to look him in the eye. It seemed that they were slowly becoming more comfortable to approach him. Staring at her, he looked down to see her leg was okay. Sighing, he was relived as he smiled "Your leg's alright, good. When I helped you out back there, I thought that you would be in pain still. Seems like I came round at the right time" he shrugged.

Fluttershy smiled thankfully, as she said "I'm umm…sorry that I was afraid of you at first. I didn't know what you were and I thought that you were going to..umm..eat me". She stared in surprise as she watched the human let out a laugh.

"Do I even look like I'm capable of eating any of you" he asked, chuckling. These ponies had quite the imagination to think that he would even be capable of eating them. Staring back at the studious pony, he said "Yes, I'm from Manhattan, New York. One of the many cities in the U.S.A.". Receiving a stare from the name of such a place, Jack sighed as he went into a small explanation of the U.S.A. "I can't remember off the top of my head how many humans there are in total on Earth, but there's a lot since it's the dominating species" he explained.

Twilight had become fascinated with what she was hearing. A planet called Earth that was populated by these humans and was dominated by them! She had resorted to using an empty book to write down what she heard, as she then had to know something else. "Wait, what about ponies? Surely you have ponies on Earth" she inquired.

"Well, yeah we have ponies. Their just..not as advanced as they are here" Jack explained, as he tried to fish for the right words to use. When he was met with silence from the ponies, he decided to be blunt. "The ponies we have can't talk, can't use magic or fly; and only come in the fur colors of black, white and brown".

"Say what? That sounds really boring" Dash grumbled; making a face at such a boring place. "Your planet doesn't exactly sound fun. I guess that can be overlooked as long as you humans are friendly right? Well, the rest of you anyway"?

Rarity let out a huff, as she trotted next to Jack and placed a hoof on his shoulder. "I think you're not giving Jack here enough credit. After all, I think he's proved his kindness when he saved me. Perhaps abit rambunctious maybe, but I bet that he's really friendly".

Jack seemed to hesitate at that, as he said "Err…yes, we're umm..really friendly". Self-preservation entered his mind as he really didn't feel like talking about the evil of humanity and how that even though they were all human; that wasn't enough. No, they had to persecute one another just for being different. If he explained all that, they would think that he was like that!

"No magic? How on ever do you get through the day" Rarity asked; shocked that magic didn't exist where Jack was from.

That also didn't sit well with Twilight. She herself was having an awful hard time believing that this place didn't have any magic at all. If that was so, then how did they become so advanced according to Jack? Perhaps magic had existed at one point, but simply disappeared! Maybe it even still existed! "If your society doesn't operate on magic, how do you operate" Twilight asked, as she turned to a new page to write on.

"Ingenuity, good old fashioned American ingenuity. We rely on technology to help advance us, into making our lives easier" he explained. Seeing a light grin appear on AJ's face, he narrowed his eyes at her. "What are you smiling bout" he asked.

"Sound's a lot like a place where only Earth ponies exist. No magic, just working with what you got. If it's as advanced as you say it is, and then it must be an impressive sight" AJ complimented the human. Noticing the slight flush appear on his face, she chuckled to herself. For someone that gave off the presences of being tough, and cocky; he sure crumbled under a little praise.

"Umm, what is this..place anyway" Jack asked, having to know where he was. Receiving an explanation; he thought "Ponyville? That's an original name…Equestria? I'm not on just another planet; I'm in a different universe"! Shaking his head; he thought "Ask something else to help get your mind off this misery".

"Ahh…err, what are your names anyway" Jack asked, as he realized that they hadn't even introduced themselves in the whole time he had been there.

Rarity decided to introduce herself first, as she trotted in front of Jack and bowed her head, whilst sticking out a gentle hoof. "I am called Rarity, a pleasure to meet you Jack" she diplomatically introduced herself.

"Ahh, charmed" Jack tried as he slowly shook her hoof. She seemed abit like one of those diva's that he had seen a lot going into clubs, on TV, or on the internet. The really, rich; stuck up type that he loathed and yet she was attempting to make friends with him. Well, he couldn't go and judge this one since she seemed to be going out of her way to make friends.

Applejack smiled lightly as she approached Jack. "Name's Applejack, owner of Sweet apple acres" she introduced, swiftly shaking his hand. Smiling, she said "Best apple growers in all of Equestria". As she stopped shaking his hand, she said "Sorry that I came at you like that. I guess ah lost control of mah temper".

"Well, umm..sorry I stole from you" Jack apologized in return, rubbing the back of his head weakly. Though, he usually didn't lower himself to apologizing; he supposes it was only fair if he returned it to her.

AJ grinned in response, remarking "Gooood, you can make up for stealing and breaking mah property by working a day on at Apple Acres".

Watching her walk past him, Jack stared mouth gaping. "That little! She tricked me"! She apologized to guilt him into apologizing, just so she could get him to work for her!

However, he wasn't able to hold onto his annoyance for long when suddenly the pink pony bounced in front, and around him grinning "I'm Pinkie Pie! We so have to throw you a party"!

"Umm…why" Jack asked, wondering whether she was crazy or not.

Pinkie looked at Jack as if that was the silliest thing she had ever heard. "Why? Cause we gotta! You're new here and it's a great way to introduce you to the town. You'll love it, I promise".

"_Considering how well they reacted when I was running around town, I doubt that_" Jack thought to himself as he said "Well, umm..maybe"? He didn't know for sure if he'd be up for a party since he didn't like to draw attention to himself.

Grinning, she looked down at the chain that seemed to be attached to a golden sphere in his pocket as she said "OOoo, what's that"? When she reached for it, she was surprised at how fast Jack's mood shifted to dark as he snapped "Don't…"

Fluttershy came up to him next, as she blushed "Umm…I'm...Im Fluttershy..hi". The way he snapped at her earlier made her shyer then usual. He was a new animal on Equestria, and she really wanted to get to know this new animal'; but didn't want to make him mad.

"Wow, she really is timid" Jack thought somewhat sympathetically. Sighing, he stretched out a hand as he remarked "We got off on the wrong foot, Hi Fluttershy". He was surprised when she took his hand and pulled him into another hug; apparently happy at this. Blushing again, as he noticed the other ponies attempting to not giggle; Jack said "Ahh..err…please no hugging".

As he was let go, he watched as the Rainbow styled Pegasus trotted up in front of him. "Heya! Rainbow Dash is the name, adventuring my game" she boasted cockily. She had to admit that the moves Jack was pulling off earlier to escape were pretty slick. She didn't really see a need to learn em, but she they looked sorta fun. Maybe they could teach each other something?

Jack reached out a hand to shake her hoof, but was surprised when she high hooved his hand. Not able to stop a grin, he had to admit she seemed a lot like him. Cocky, daring, adventurous; kinda like a female, pony version of him. Yeah, they'd probably get along well. "Heh, had to live up the name Dash I take it"?

"That's right! I aim to be the fastest flyer in all of Equetria" she grinned.

Twilight finally stopped in front of Jack, as she coughed nervously. "Well, introductions are in order. I know you probably didn't get a very warm welcome, but let me be the one to say welcome to Eqeuestria. I'm Twilight Sparkle". Shaking his hand, she observed as she thought "Kinda like with Spike, but without claws".

Speaking of Spike, the baby dragon entered Twilights home as he called out "I'm home! Twilight, did you hear about the strange creature that caused a ruckus in town today? What do you think it w…" the dragon announced loudly, freezing on the spot as he locked eyes with Jack. However rather than succumb to what most of the ponies did when they panicked; Spike instead rushed up to Jack as he looked over him. "Cooooooool" he said slowly with awe.

Jack meanwhile, was struggling to remain calm. Their…was a dragon…talking to him. "Dragons…this world…have dragons…." He said slowly. Talking ponies that could fly and use magic that was one thing. Dragons…that was medieval crap! "Okay, I'll bite…this place has dragons…" Jack said slowly, as he waved "Hi. I'm…Jack".

"Heya Jack, I'm Spike" Spike grinned at the human.

"Dragons huh…Next think you'll be telling me that this place has Griffons too" Jack remarked sarcastically to the other ponies.

"Actually, it does" Rainbow smirked in response.

"I WAS JUST KIDDING" Jack insisted, feeling this was highly unfair! What in the world did he do to end up in this situation? As he tuned out the ponies who were explain to Spike what Jack was, he thought "I need to find out how I got here, and how to get out. As interesting as this is, I'd rather be in a place where I wasn't stared at like some kind of freak". Coughing loudly, he said "Alright, I need to know; how'd I get here"?

The ponies looked at each other, as Rarity asked "Well...I was…attempting to cast a spell too..umm..bring a…friend to this world…It had to be a some pony I had never met". She couldn't just tell this creature that she had attempted a love spell to seek out her true lov…wait…maybe it had worked.. D..did that mean that..this creature was supposed to be her love? That was impossible! Firstly, they weren't even the same species! Secondly, it was..everything she wasn't! He was cocky, adventurous, loud mouthed from what she had heard from the others; dirty looking…

"I see..err…I kinda…uhh..." he trailed off as he looked away not wanting them to see his embarrassment. "Well, in my world theirs things called…wishing umm..stars. Make a wish on em, they come true. Stuff like that. I had umm..wished to get out of the cesspit I was living in".

The other ponies stared in a mixture of confusion, and pity as Twilight said "Wish...like a magic star? Aha! I knew that some sort of magic existed" she smiled confidently! Putting a hoof to her chin, she said "Perhaps that your wish entwined with Rarity's; and thus it created a pocket hole in time and space; which brought you here"? It was only a theory of course, but better than nothing. Looking at Jack, she said "I'm sorry, but if you wanted to go back; I don't know if there is even a way back".

Jack stared mouth gaped as the reality of the situation hit him! He was stuck in a world that was completely different from earth, with little to no chance of ever getting home!No, no, no! This couldn't be! How was he going to survive? Lowering his head in shame, he said "I…I don't know what to do". He was at a lost…

Hearing scribbling, he looked up to see Twilight give a letter to Spike, who shot green fire at it; causing it to vanished into thin air. "What did you just do" Jack asked, as he noticed the determined look on the unicorns face.

"I sent a letter to the Princesses to inform them of you being here. We'll find a way to help you get home. I promise" Twilight smiled, giving him a pat on the back. Crossing her hooves, she said "In the meantime, we'll need a place for you to stay".

"I would like to umm...extend the offer to allow you to stay at my home whilst we…find a way to return you to yours" Rarity offered a she smiled weakly to Jack. She wanted to get to know this creature, and see what it was like. Pointing at the sky, she said "It's almost dark sooo..a umm..nice place to sleep would be acceptable, and I have an umm…"

Jack watched her trail off as more questions entered his head. _Princesses? There was royalty in this world? He had to admit that Rarity gave off the edge of being royalty._ These questions had to wait, as he said "Well, as long as I'm stuck in this world; I suppose a place to crash would be…alright" he said, trying to brush it off like it was no big deal.

"Splendid" Rarity beamed as she boldly trotted over to Jack, and led him by his hand towards the door. "Let's not waist another moment, and be off. I'll see you all tomorrow! Let's give Jack a warm welcome then" she smiled.

"What the hell have I gotten myself into" Jack thought, rolling his eyes as he was dragged out the door…

_**Sorry for the abrupt ending there. I thought it would be a good point to stop. I promise for there to be conflict in this story that will test Jack's morality, and see if he has what it takes to adapt to the life style of Equestria. Until next week **_

_**Note: I'm sorry if Applejacks accent seemed inconsistent. I'm having a hard time figuring out how to do her accent.**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**My little pony: The Urchin and the Princess**_

_**Disclaimer: A/N: I'm really sorry that I didn't update last week. I was in the process of moving, and it wasn't easy for me to get any motivation towards doing a chapter. So, I'm back for this week and here's the next chapter of this fic. **_

_**Chapter 4: First day in Ponyville.**_

"_What"?_

That was the first word that entered back into Jack's mind as he felt himself reenter the world of reality. Though considering the life that reality had presented to him so far, he somewhat preferred dreaming. It might sound cowardly, but he did like dreaming; or at least lucid dreaming in particular. When his mind went into that state, he was basically god in his own world. He could do whatever he wishes, with no consequences for his actions.

Jack didn't wasn't to reopen his eyes and wake up, but he knew that he had to. Sighing, he slowly reopened his eyes..and found himself looking into a smaller pair of eyes; staring back at him. Blinking at the green orbs that looked into his multicolored ones, he became aware of the fact that a tiny unicorn with a white coat, and mixed violet mane was looking at him. "What" Jack asked roughly, not liking being stared at?

Sweetie Belle realized she was doing wrong, as she climbed off oft the guest bed, and watched as the human sat up, ruffling his tiny mane with an aggravated expression. "So you're a hu..human" Sweetie Beele asked, trying to say the word as it slipped off of her tongue oddly. What a funny name for a creature.

"That's right, I am...and I don't like when little ponies stare at me like I'm some kinda freak" Jack grunted to the unicorn, as he got up; scratching his neck.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare. I've just never seen anything like you before" Sweetie Belle apologizes, lowering her eyes saddened. Becoming excited a few moments later, she smiled as she let out a barrage of questions, questions like "So what do you do for fun? Do humans read a lot? Do they like to dance? What kinda homes do humans live in"?

Jack couldn't help but roll his eyes at her questions. Hard as it was to believe, but he had been a kid once, so curiosity was a common thing amongst them; even amongst different species he supposed. What was it thought with kids being attracted to the unknown, and possibly dangerous? Chuckling lightly, he looked around at where he was as realized he was in the guest room of Rarity's lavish home. After Rarity had dragged him here, he had passed out on the sofa outta exhaustion. Rarity musta moved him in his sleep.

"Where are my clothes" Jack asked as he noticed that apart from his briefs that his clothes were missing. A sudden blush appeared on his face as he remembered he had gone to bed with them! Did that mean that Rarity had gone and!

"Rarity wanted to give you new ones, over their" Sweetie Belle pointed politely as she watched the human strode over towards the garments that lay on the chair neatly. As he picked them up, she said "Do humans always wear clothes? We ponies usually wear them for big parties and such"?

"Yeah, we need em to keep warm and to…mask are assets" Jack said, choosing his words carefully. However the next statement, he choose not to in a fit of annoyance as he stared down at what he been presented to him as clothing. "What..the hell…is this" Jack growled, as he stared down at a long sleeved, white collared shirt, a black vest with decorative patterns, light brown pants with black boots, and a band. It looked like royalty crap!

"By the way umm, I'm Sweetie Belle, it's nice to meet you" she smiled as she held out a hoof to shake the humans…hand. Whilst most ponies would be afraid, or put off by a human; she was more curious eager to meet one and wanted to know a lot about him.

Brought out of his annoyance for a moment, Jack looked down at the hoof as he smiled lightly. "Heh, Jack" he responded simply as he gently shook her hoof. This smile faded as the door opened, and in trotted the diva Rarity.

Rarity smiled as she was just going to check on Jack, and see if he liked his current home style as she wanted to be certain that he was comfortable. Opening the door, she froze too see he was half naked; his chest and legs exposed. All save for the briefs he was wearing. Having remembered that humans usually always wore clothes, she coughed to regain her composure. Clearly he wasn't used to doing so all the time. "Good morning Jack, I hope you slept well the other night" she greeted cheerfully. Spotting Sweetie Belle, Rarity shooed "Scoot along Sweetie, give Jack some space".

Sweetie looked annoyed that she had to leave, as she wanted to know more about Jack, but consented as she left.

"Ah, yeah I did" Jack admitted as he stared back at the bed he had slept in. Looking back at Rarity, he asked "Have you seen my other clothes? I can't seem to find them"? That is, he was more comfortable wearing something from home rather than whatever this…princely crap she gave him.

"Oh those old things, there in your hands? Aren't they lovely" Rarity asked, her eyes gleaming as she awaited his approval.

"_These were my old clothes? She altered them without my consent?" he thought angrily as he looked at the clothes in slight disgust. "_Err, these are quite umm..Magnificent" Jack lied through his teeth.

"Well go on, and try them on" Rarity insisted eagerly.

"_Bossy aren't ya" Jack thought to himself as he went into the next room and changed. _Emerging several moments later, he put a hand to his head in annoyance. She had wanted him to use all of the clothes, so he had also tied his slightly long hair into a small pony tail to help keep his hair outta his eyes. "Uggg" he thought, trying to not show annoyance. She had brought him in, so least he could do was show…a little respect. The most uncomfortable part was the sleeves. They were way to damn tight.

Rarity was the complete opposite however, as she had to force herself not to swoon at the sight of him. "_Oh, why didn't I come in wearing my dress"_ she thought annoyed with herself. He looked like a prince in that outfit! The prince that she had been looking for all her life! Smiling warmly, she complimented "Well, don't you look handsome". She had to force herself to not giggle as she could see a light blush emerge on his cheeks, as he averted his eyes away.

"Ah, thanks" Jack grunted uncomfortable as he muttered "What is your game"? Why couldn't she simple have made simple clothes, and not something showy? He wasn't royalty for god sakes, and he didn't want to be! Royalty in his opinion, was for the stuck up, arrogant pricks that think their better then everybody else just cause they have money and status. Last thing he wanted was to become one of those pricks.

"Now be especially careful not to get any dirt on those clothes, be sure to iron it out and..." Rarity stated, going into detail on how to take care of the clothes she had given him.

"And trying to tell me what to do" Jack thought as he didn't like how she was trying to implicit whatever she wanted or liked onto him.

"I see you've met my sister, she's quiet the rambunctious one" Rarity smiled, as she noted him looking at himself in the mirror. "_Ahh, so handsome" she thought lightly._

"_So stupid" _Jack thought irate as he especially didn't like the band she gave him. He looked like a tool! Shaking his head, he thought "I'll make some adjustments to this once I'm away, that is if I can get away from her for a while".

Rarity smiled as she could stare at what he wore all day, but that was not to be as she noted what time it was. "Oh dear, I'm late" she gasped as she quickly rushed downstairs to get her things. Retrieving a basket, she explained hastily "I need to run out and do a few errands, I'll be back in a few hours. Make yourself at home". Without another word, she rushed out the door.

Watching her leave, Jack looked down at Sweetie Belle to see her putting on a pack, and getting ready to leave. "Where are you going" he asked curiously.

"I'm gonna go and play with Scootaloo, do you wanna come along" she asked sweetly.

Shaking his head, Jack said "Nah, think I'll just hang here for a while". Watching her nod as she left, he looked around at his current residences. "Now what" he thought annoyed that she left him with no information about the town, nowhere to really go or what to do. Heck last night on the way here, all she did talk about was herself. That was egotistical!

Knock! Knock!

Hearing knocking at the door, Jack raised his brow curiously as he approached and opened it; expecting to see Rarity back having forgotten something. Instead, it was Applejack! Not expecting her, Jack asked "Errr, can I help you"?

Applejack smiled warmly, and had to suppress a laugh at the sight of Jack in his new clothes. Apparently Rarity had made him something that screamed "Im royalty, respect me"! Though the look on Jack's face said "I hate these clothes, please let me wreck them". "Just the human, I was lookin for" AJ smiled.

Jack crossed his arms as he remarked with heavy sarcasm "Not looking very hard, I am the only human in this town at the moment".

AJ chuckled as she said "That's true, so I was figuring you could start paying me back for the damages you caused the other day". Seeing the look of surprise on his face, she chuckled "I am entitled to call on it whenever I want after all".

Nodding, Jack shrugged "Yeah, sure...but first". Removing the black vest, he gripped the sleeves of the white collared shirt and with a grunt, ripped the two sleeves off; making it into a sleeveless buttoned shirt. Taking the band out that kept his hair into a ponytail; he smiled as he felt like his old self. "Needed to do that" he informed the earth pony.

AJ on the other hand was abit miffed at this, as from the detail he could tell Rarity had worked hard on making that shirt for him. But at the same time, she could understand since she had chosen what to make for him, rather than ask him with he wanted. Rather than lecture him, she decided to leave that to Rarity as she nodded "Whelp, let's get moving; I'll tell you abit about pony Ville whilst we mosey along".

As they crossed through the town of pony Ville, Jack could see the ponies from yesterday were abet calmer, though still wary and keeping their distance from him. Clearly they thought that he was dangerous. "Not that I can blame em, I did stir up quiet some trouble" Jack thought somewhat proud of himself. Still despite his tough front that he put up to show he didn't care if they were afraid of him, deep down he was abit hurt that they would mistrust him in such a way. "Looks like they're still nervous" Jack noted to AJ as they passed through the square.

"It's only natural. They've never seen a human before so they don't know if you're friendly or not. We could change that if you want. Have you spoken at a conference so the mayor can announce that you're friendly" AJ offered to the human.

"Maybe, I don't know" Jack responded unsure.

Deciding to try and lighten the mood, AJ commented "Well they won't think you're all bad". She then grinned, as she smirked "SO long as you don't get into any more trouble".

"Hey, I don't get into trouble...I make trouble" Jack retorted, with a slight smile. Passing through the woods with AJ, he went quiet again as he went into thought about what Twilight had said, about their being princesses here. "_Hmm, so the princesses must be the matriarchs in charge of this world. I wonder if I could get an audience with them. I mean, perhaps they have the power to help get me home after all"?_

Reaching a hand into his pocket, he froze as he felt something. Reaching out, he smiled lightly as he removed the diamond from his fiasco. Yeah, he had to get back to earth! With this thing being worth a couple billion, he could probably start up a company of some kind and make billions more, go to another country, and travel the world. Whatever he wanted! He wasn't gonna accomplish any of that whilst he was here.

"Whelp, here we are. Sweet Apple Acres" Applejack announced!

Snapped out of his thoughts, he quickly put the diamond away as he observed the country land before him. Hundreds of apple trees spread out as far as the eye could see a small home with a red barn, fields; everything that screamed farm country. "And I gotta work here for the day huh"Jack thought ideally. Well, he was no stranger to getting dirty. He did a couple of construction jobs for pay back in New York, so this was no big deal really.

"Before we get you working, lemme introduce you to mah family" Applejack smiled, as she leads Jack towards the house. She could tell just by looking at him that he wasn't very enthusiastic about branching out, and meeting her family. He would most likely change his mind once he met them though.

As Jack approached the front door, he was about to reach for the handle when suddenly the door slammed open, and a tiny missile crashed into his gut; knocking the wind outta him! Lying on his back, Jack grunted as he sat up angrily, about to tell off the punk that cheap shotted him. Instead, he found himself staring at a tiny filly with a yellow coat of fur, and red mane with a big bow.

"AJ was right, you are funny looking" Apple bloom giggled at the expression on his face. Seeing how confused he looked, she apologized "I'm sorry I ran into you like that. I was testing out some skates to see if that was my cutie mark" she smiled sheepishly as she pointed to the skates on her hooves. "I guess that wasn't mah hidden talent" she smiled weakly.

"Hidden talent" he thought as he found this down to earth pony interesting. Watching her get off, he got up as he dusted himself off. "You have a determined look from what I can see. What I can see is that I'm sure you'll get your umm…cutie mark sooner rather than later" he encouraged. Watching her become excited at this, he chuckled lightly as he shot a look at AJ. "Kids huh" he shrugged.

"I think I know what you mean" AJ chuckled as she said "This here's mah little sister Apple bloom".

"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Jack" she smiled as she reached up with a tiny hoof to shake his hand. \

Granny Smith blinked as she walked out, and noticed Jack. Smiling, she stared up at the human as she hummed "Hmmmm". Noticing the strange look he was giving her, she smiled "I think I remember hearing stories at one point when I was a filly about humans".

"This here's Granny Smith" AJ remarked, watching as the two shook.

That caught Jack off guard. Stories? But, how could they have heard of humans when he was the first to arrive here in Equestria…or…maybe he wasn't.

Hearing new trotting, Jack turned around, looked up and found himself starting chest to face with a large patch of red fur. Looking up, he gasped to see a large stallion with an orange mane looking down at him. He wore a saddle, and had a straw hanging from his mouth.

"And this here's Big Macintosh" AJ introduced, done with introductions.

Jack stared up at the stallion with a slight bit of awe. He practically towered over Jack! Blinking, Jack coughed as he said "Umm, nice to meet you". He wouldn't admit that he was intimated though.

"Likewise" Macintosh replied simply. Looking at Applejack, he asked "So he'll be helping me in the field today"? He wanted to make sure that he had it right before he took Jack to help him out.

"That's right" Applejack confirmed as she trotted up to explain to Jack. "You're gonna be helping Macintosh plow the fields, so we can make room for more Apple trees to grow. The fields are pretty large, so you'll take one half whilst Macintosh takes the other". Noticing that he was sweating from the light heat, AJ smiled "One moment". Rushing away, she returned moments later with a black cowboy hat, with a white stripe running across the brim.

Taking the hat, Jack looked out across the fields. They were huuuuuuge! He figured that this was gonna be anything but easy, and honestly he hadn't expected easy when he first came here. Putting the hat on, he nodded thankfully to AJ as he thought "Sooner I get this outta the way, sooner I can find out from uuh…twilight…yeah! Twilight if there was a response from the princesses".

"And I must say he does look rather handsome! His roughish features seem to increase his attractiveness tenfold! He looks like a noble pony or a prince" Rarity went on as she trotted alongside Twilight. The two had met up in the market as Twilight was shopping for more books. Whilst Rarity continued to go into detail on how she made the outfit for Jack, she failed to notice the grim features on Twilight's face.

"To top it all off, he…I'm sorry, is something wrong" Rarity asked, now noticing as they stopped at a bench.

"I received a response and.. Princess Celestia and Luna are both rather..distrusted on the matter of Jack being here" Twilight admitted. Looking at Rarity, she explained "They informed me that we need to keep an eye on Jack incase he does something dangerous".

"Dangerous? Whatever do you mean" Rarity asked, now becoming concerned.

"Amongst the human race, they're has been a lot of..ugly history. They're not like us where they can't seem to get along with each other, and have fought over trivial matters. Whilst we are certainly not perfect, and the Princesses do not wish to judge him based on his race; they said we should be wary of him".

Rarity seemed to take offense to this, as she stomped her hoof stating "I don't believe you. If he was anything like you told me of his kind, then he wouldn't have helped me".

"I'm not saying he is like all humans Rarity, I'm just saying that we need to keep an eye on him, that's all" Twilight tried to explain so her friend wouldn't become upset. Twilight actually liked Jack. From first impression, he seemed alright if abit sarcastic, blunt and..rather withdrawn about his feelings since when Pinkie had tried to look at that golden watch he had, he withdrew and became hostile.

"Well, I think it's a silly thing but if the princesses ask of it, then I shall keep an eye on him" Rarity haughtily responded, wondering how Jack was doing at the moment.

"Huff…huff….huff…huff" Jack panted, as he removed his cowboy hat and whipped the sweat from his hair. He had removed the shirt a while ago, and had opted to finish the task bare chested; sadly exposing a few scars from his abusive life style. Luckily, he was away from Macintosh and the others so he wouldn't have to answer any questions about them.

"All…done" he panted as he looked up at the sun. It was probably around threeish if the sun moved in the same manner as earths did. Since he couldn't push it in the same manner as a pony using his chest, Jack had to use it pushing against the side of it. So it had taken longer than what a pony could do, but it was still done.

Slowly putting the sleeveless shirt back on, he reached up and rubbed his lip; feeling a light bump. Remembering the scar he had received earlier; he thought as he rolled his eyes "The ponies here probably don't get a lot of scars so I probably look stereotypically "evil".

"Mighty fine job you did" Macintosh complimented as he walked alongside Jack back towards the house. As Jack gave him a weary smile, Macintosh smirked as he put a hoof around his shoulder and pulled him in; messing up his tiny mane". This encited a laugh from Jack, who reached up and returned the gesture.

"Heh, from the impression you gave me you seem like the serious type" Jack chuckled, as he noted the stallion.

"Only when workin, otherwise I'ma pretty laid back" Macintosh smiled as he looked over at where AJ approached.

Applejack stared in shock at how Jack had managed to pull off plowing his half of the fields by himself. That defiantly paid back his debt. "Well, you two looked like you worked up a sweat. That pretty much kicked off whatever debt you owed" she smiled. Handing Jack some apple cider, she smiled "Little reward for your hard work".

"Thanks" Jack rasped, his throat parched as he drunk greedily. Feeling a tug on his pant legs, he looked down at Apple bloom as she was giving him a pleading look. "What's up" he asked her lightly.

"Do you wanna come with me to the clubhouse? Maybe you could help me get mah cutie mark" she smiled eagerly as perhaps Jack could assist since he was really strong, and even if not he seemed like alotta fun from how her sis described him the first day she saw him.

Jack really did want to go and find Twilight and find out what she had discovered about weather or not he could get home, but he also wanted to make a good impression with the ponies here…or at least an impression that said "I'm not a monster". Smiling lightly, he said "Sure thing kid".

Waving goodbye to AJ for now, Jack was led by the eager filly into the woods, to a small tree house that looked surprisingly big enough for him to fit into. As he stepped inside, he was surprised to see Sweetie Belle, and another pony there. An orange Pegasus, with a wavy purple mane. Spotting him, she trotted up to him as a wide grin split her face.

"It's you" She grinned, surprised and glad to see Jack.

"Huh" Jack responded, confused.

"I saw you yesterday running through town, doing all those cools flips and moves! You even were able to keep up with Rainbow Dash! You're awesome" she complimented with a grin.

Despite Jack's persona to not let anything get to him, he couldn't help but feel a slight blush appear on his cheeks as he scratched the back of his head with nervousness, as he meekly laughed "Heh, I'm hardly awesome kid. As for yesterday, I was just trying to keep myself from getting caught". Reaching down, he introduced "Jack".

Scootaloo looked at the hand, before high hooving it "Scootaloo" she returned smiling. Looking at the other two, she asked "Is he here to help us earn are cutie marks"?

Jack let out an aggravated sighed. He had been hearing constantly about these cutie marks as he voiced "Can someone explain to me what the big deal is with this earning cutie marks thing" he asked. He was answered as Apple bloom turned around, showing her blank flank, "There's nothing their" he answered, raising a brow as one ponies like Twilight, or Rarity he had noticed cutie marks.

"We haven't earned our cutie marks. Cuties marks are supposed to represent are special talents and what we'll be able to do later in life" Apple bloom answered. Lowering her head, she said "We don't have any cause we haven't discovered are hidden talents yet, so that's why we formed the cutie mark crusaders. Doing all sorts of things till we discover are cutie marks". The other two agreed, nodding.

"You let some symbol decide what your special talent is, or what you're going to do with your life" Jack asked, surprised that it sounded simple.

"Yeah, why not" Scootaloo asked.

Crossing his arms, Jack asked "What if you weren't satisfied with your cutie mark? Like its saying that's your hidden talent or destiny and you wanted something else"?

"How could you want something other than your destiny" Apple bloom asked.

Shaking his head, Jack thought to himself "_Their simple creatures so I guess I shouldn't argue really_".

Sweetie Belle noticed the look he was giving, as she asked "Do humans get cutie marks"?

Jack shook his head, as he took a seat. "No, humans don't get them. It's...more difficult to discover are hidden talents on what we're going to do with are lives. Our talents don't appear in the form of symbols, or cutie marks. For us, we…, well we just discover it when it comes to us or when we seek it out. Kinda like what you girls are doing, but for us it's not as obvious".

"I think you have a special talent for being a hero" Sweetie Belle smiled, as she said "After all, you did help my sister". Noticing the shy blush, she giggled "Why are you blushing"?

"I'm no hero kid, far from it. I'm not a Samaritan that goes around saving lives" Jack disagreed as he thought of how he had to survive in New York. "You wouldn't think so highly of me if you knew" he thought. Shaking his head, he said "Enough of that, what did you girls plan on doing to get your cutie marks".

"Follow me! I'll show ya" Scootaloo smirked, leading them outside. Ordering Jack to wait where he was, Scootaloo lead the others behind a tree where a duffle bag awaited.

Jack crossed his arms, as he leaned against the clubhouse. Hearing an arrestment of zipping, he blinked as the three reemerged; wearing belts with hooks coming out of them. Raising a brow, he said "Ahh…hmmm". Kinda reminded him of when he tried crazy, irresponsible things when he was their age. Looking up, he noticed the wire line that led down towards the bottom of steep hill that led deeper into the forest.

"We're gonna do some zip lining! I'll bet that's our talent" Apple bloom grinned as the trio climbed up the tree to reach the zip line. Looking down at Jack, she called "Just stay there and watch, alright"?

"Are you sure you kids know what you're doing? I don't wanna be held responsible if something happens to you" Jack called up to them. Watching them give various responses on how they'll be fine, and how nothing can go wrong; he rolled his eyes thinking "Kids". Yeah, when he was that age he thought he was invincible too. Growing up gave him a different perspective of things.

Hooking their hooks to the wire, they started to go one at a time. Jack had to admit that it did look rather fun! Perhaps he should give it a try! But that changed as he froze in fear as he watched Sweetie belle go, as the hook started to break whilst she was in mid zipping. "Shit" Jack swore as he broke into a run as he rushed under the zip line to catch her.

Sweetie Belle let out a gasp, and then followed with a swift shriek as the zip line broke. Hearing her name being called by her scared friends, she fell a good twenty feet and was about to hit the ground when something caught her, and went into a roll. Looking up, she gasped to see Jack had caught her; bringing her to his chest so he could absorb the blow.

Jack let out a gasp as he had caught her whilst on the edge of the hill, as he went into a roll. Rolling downhill whilst holding onto the unicorn, Jack's sleeveless shirt became caked with mud, his expensive pants and boots with grime as he rolled into a tree trunk, letting out a hiss of pain as he stopped. "OWwwwwww" he hissed as he shook his head. The fiasco over, he looked down at Sweetie Belle as he asked "You alright"?

Sweetie Belle looked up, smiling widely at the amazing feat he had done. "Wow! That was amazing"! Reaching up, she hugged the human around the neck. "Thanks for saving me" she smiled grateful.

Jack smiled weakly, as he responded simply "You're welcome". Getting up, he set Sweetie Belle down as he asked "Are you hurt"?

Shaking her head, she said "Nope, thanks to you. Are you sure saving others isn't your hidden talent"?

Jack was about to retort when suddenly he was surrounded by the other two filles who were now barraging him praise, and questions. Shaking his head, he smiled weakly. It was alright he guess to have somewhat of a reputation. Perhaps it would be a good opportunity to get in front of others and tell what he was? Maybe he should take up AJ's advice and talk to the mayor so he can introduce himself to the town? "Hey, do you think I could talk to Applejack, so she can…" he started.

WHAT IS THIS?

Jack froze, as he looked up blinking as Rarity came approached through the bushes. "What's she doing here" he said to himself. What was she so worked up about though? She was staring eyes wide, and mouth gaped at him? Amusing he had seen him rescue her sister, he blushed as he said "It's not a big deal really; I was just in the right place at the right time and..."

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO YOUR OUTFIT" Rarity shouted in anger. This morning, she had presented him with a clean, pressed lovely looking outfit that was fit for a prince. That was six-seven hours ago! Now, the outfit looked like gutter trash, the sleeves missing, and his hair a mess, the boots and pants in grime…and the shirt was splattered in mud.

Jack stared as he realized he hadn't seen her rescue Sweetie Belle. "Well, let me explain. You see.." he started but was once again interrupted by Rarity.

"I made that outfit especially for you, and you've trashed it" Rarity shouted angrily at him as she stomped her hoof at him. She couldn't believe Jack! She had made that outfit for him so he would be happy, and he had gone and wrecked it! "What happened to the sleeves" she demanded, wanting to know.

"Well, I ripped them off, but I.." Jack stated, now starting to get annoyed with her interrupting.

"You ripped them off? Why" Rarity gaped with anger. How could he? Those were the best part of the shirt, made extra fluffy for warmth!

"They were too hot for me, and I..."

"AND NOW YOU'RE COMPLETELY DIRTY"!

"I had just gone and saved…"

"AGGGG! I went through all that trouble to please you, make you a handsome outfit to show you that my appreciation and this is how you thank me! Those clothes you were wearing were completely dirty, and looked like they needed some fixing up! And this is what you do? You hoodlum" She shouted, letting her feelings for him, and her emotions starting to get the better of her.

"Yeah, well I never asked for your charity, or your pity! You go and try dressing me up for something that you want, and don't even ask how I feel? I'm not a freaking prince! For that matter, here! Take this princely crap" Jack shouted, now angry himself! Ripping off the remainder of his shirt, he threw it into the mud before spitting on it.

"AGG! How dare you" Rarity glared heated.

"Forget this place, and forget you! I'm outta here" Jack snarled, as he turned and stomped away!

"FINE" Rarity shouted back angrily, turning on a hoof and leaving as the remaining filles watched sadden as the two left.

_**And tempers flew! I hope you all liked it. Again, sorry for the late posting of this chap. The next chap May or not be up for another week because I'm preparing for college finals. Until next time, R & R.**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**My little pony: The Urchin and the Princess**_

_**Disclaimer: Yeah, I'm not trying to make Jack like one of those "Oh woe is me; I've had a dark past, pity me". He's not looking for pity, nor to continue brooding on what happened, so thanks for the comment **_

_**Chapter 5: Apologies and introduction**_

"I can't believe her" Jack growled angrily, as he stomped his way through the woods; brushing past thick branches as he forcefully shoved obstacles out of his path. Staring at a tree trunk, he narrowed his eyes furiously at the trunk. Closing his knuckles, he punched at the trunk hard in a fit of anger, caring not that it brought a stinging pain to them. Turning away, he thought about the injustice of Rarity. He had done a good thing! He had saved her sisters life, and she wasn't even grateful for that!

What, did he have to bend over and kiss her hooves? Pfft, he'd rather eat his own briefs. She had been completely ungrateful, not caring he had saved her sis; all Rarity cared about was that stupid prince outfit she made for him!

"It's abit chilly" he realized as he started to hug his arms. Maybe ripping his shirt off hadn't been the smartest thing he had ever done. Then again, he was angry and wanted to hurt her since she had hurt him…calling him a hooligan and then…then..

Not realizing where he was going, he paused as he stood still in a small clearing. _What if she was right? What if he really was…? _As he thought this, he failed to notice that a tiny bit of grey energy had started to encompass his boots. But it disappeared just as fast as it had appeared as he thought "_No! She's wrong! Rarity doesn't know a damn thing about me_"!

Feeling confident again, he went to continue when he heard a rustling behind him. Whirling around, his fist up; he paused as a tiny deer fawn stepped into the clearing, looking at him curiously. Surprised by the fawn's appearance, he noticed the tiny antler stubs on its head as he thought "I didn't figure they had deer here either". He didn't want to deal with this, so he stubbornly grunted "Go on! Get"!

Turning, he continued to walk. He didn't know where he was going, but it was far away from Ponyville! That was good enough for him! As long as he didn't see that stuck up, pampered, annoying, diva unicorn again; he was happy. Looking back, he could see the fawn still following. Ignoring it, he walked..and walked…walked…IT WOUDNT GO AWAY!

"Can't you take a hint? Get lost" Jack demanded, whirling around to face the fawn. Jack hesitated as he saw the fawn lower its head saddened. "_What am I doing? I'm taking my anger out on the little guy"_ Jack thought, scolding himself lightly. Rolling his eyes, he walked up to the fawn as he kneeled down to its level. "Hey, I'm sorry alright. I'm just a little stressed at the moment..." he apologized to the little guy.

That was good enough for it, as the fawn leaned forward and gave Jack's cheek a lick. "Heeey, I'm not a salt cube" Jack staggered back, not able to hold back a laugh from the friendly creature. Reaching over, he gave it a pet. "Friendly huh" he asked lightly. From first impression, one would not think that Jack was an animal lover, but that was kinda the opposite since when he was a kid he liked to hang out around animals. Why didn't he consider the ponies animals? Well, they were but…they could talk; so they don't count!

He was surprised as the fawn then started poke him, as he rushed past Jack and started beckoning for him to follow. Looking around, Jack shrugged "Alright, why not? I really don't have anywhere to go so lead the way little guy".

"Rarity? Wh..What's up" Twilight asked, surprised to see an enraged Unicorn on her door step. She had just finished talking with Applejack who wanted to surprise Jack, by having him speak and introduce himself to the town; and Twilight had taken the liberty of writing him some notes so he wouldn't feel so self-conscious. Just as she was about to go and seek out Jack, Rarity came stomping in.

"Ugg! The nerve of that boy! I go to all that trouble, and what does he do" Rarity complained as she shook angrily. Jack had completely ruined a good vision she had of him as a prince, sweeping her off her hooves and dancing at the Galloping Gala. That had been replaced as she didn't see a handsome, heroic prince. She saw a punk!

"Calm down Rarity" Twilight urged as she attempted to calm her friend. Obviously something had gone wrong with Jack, and she wanted to know what it was. Using her magic to pour some tea for Rarity, she smiled "Start over and tell me what happened".

Sighing, Rarity took a gentle sip as she sat down on the chair. "Well, I noticed Jack's raggy looking clothes, and I wanted to do a nice thing and make them into something better. So, I broke them down and recreated them into something much nobler. I thought he looked great in it! Yet when I went to go see him later, it was anything but noble looking. In a few short hours, Jack had trashed the outfit I had gone through a lot of trouble to make for him".

"Well that doesn't sound very nice" Twilight mused, as she drunk.

"All I wanted from him in return for what I did was to show a little consideration towards how I felt. I did what I did just to make him happy, and he stepped over my feelings" Rarity sighed, as her anger deflated; replaced by sorrow.

Twilight put a hoof to her chin as she thought over what Rarity was saying. From the impression Jack gave, maybe he didn't like what Rarity had done? Like he didn't like to be surprised and put into something that he wasn't conferrable wearing. "_Oh, that means Im no better since we set up everything with the mayor for him to introduce himsel_f" Twilight thought guilty as she then thought determined "_After this, I'll tell him and won't lie"._

"Well, did you ask him what he would like to wear, or consider how he felt" Twilight asked carefully, getting a confused look from Rarity.

"Ahh, who lives here" Jack asked as the fawn had led him to a tiny cottage in the middle of nowhere, and it was completely surrounded by animals of all kind. Immediately, they rushed up to him; some staring at him curiously, others climbing onto his shoulders. Not used to this, entire he smiled weakly "Ahh, a little personal space guys"?

When he didn't receive an answer, he thought "_Well that's good. Talking ponies is one thing; if all animals are capable of speech then I really would need to watch what I say_". The animals beckoned him to the door as the fawn from before gave him a gentle nudge, indicting for him to knock on the door. Knocking slowly, he was surprised to see Fluttershy answer the door.

Fluttershy stared back with a mixed expression of shock and amusement at all the animals scurrying around him. "Heh heh, I never took you for an animal person Jack" she smiled warmly to him, not noticing his blush from the compliment.

"Theirs alotta things you don't know about me" he shrugged indifferently. Lowering his head, he sighed as he said "I don't know you that well, but can I talk to you about something…". Looking away, he blushed "There was an….incident with Rarity. We had a fight".

Fluttershy gaped as she said "Oh you poor dear! Come inside, and tell me the whole thing" As she did so, she looked at the fawn as she smiled "It's alright Kira, come on in too". Kira the fawn smiled, as she frolicked inside as she went next to Jack as she rubbed the side of her cheek against his leg. "It seems she likes you" giggled Fluttershy.

"Ahh, I guess" Jack blushed as he sighed "I had just finished doing some work for Applejack, and I saved Sweetie Belle from getting hurt when they had attempted to earn their cutie mark". Seeing the look of horror on Flutter's face, Jack urged "It's alright; she's safe". Sitting back as he started to pet Kiras head, he said "Rarity came, and didn't even give me a chance to tell her as she started screaming at me! Accusing me of ruining her clothes she had made for me, and got all pissy".

Starting to get angry, he clenched his fist as he grunted "I then ripped off what was left of the shirt, and stormed off angrily. She was trying to change me into something I'm not"!

Fluttershy blinked. She was about to ask if Jack had been abit harsh when that comment came up. "What do you mean? Change you into.."

"When I put that outfit on, I felt like she was expecting me to act differently, to talk differently to do..everything differently just to suit her wants. I felt like she was using me, and I do not like to be used" Jack admitted as he looked up at Fluttershy. "She had no right to go and change my clothes into something that suited her" he sternly pointed out

"I am not a rich boy, so I don't know how to act like one, and I'm not a prince! I'm far from it" Jack snorted, as he looked down at his feet. "She didn't even ask how I felt about it, just through it on saying "You're gonna be like this".

Fluttershy took all this in. Jack had apparently thought Rarity was using him to please a vision or dream she had, and that wasn't fair to him. It also wasn't fair to him to go and do something without asking his permission. Even if Rarity had done wrong, so did Jack. Destroying something she had worked hard on for him wasn't a very nice thing to do.

"Whilst it umm, wasn't nice of Rarity to go and change your clothes, it wasn't nice of you to destroy hers" Fluttershy softly explained.

"Say what? I was just showing her how I felt! She went and.." he started but was interrupted.

"Did you consider how she would feel? You did both good and bad, saving Sweetie Belle yes. She did wrong yes, but so did you by ruining something she put a lot of care into. I know Rarity, and she musta put a lot of work into that outfit for you. You could have told her the truth about it, and I'm sure she would have changed it back" Fluttershy explained.

"No, I was just…I mean" Jack shuddered, trying to think of a returning argument to defend himself. Yet, nothing came to mind. What was wrong with him? Why he was now starting to feel guilty? Looking at his feet uncomfortable, he said "Well, maybe I umm..lost my temper and should have..controlled it better". Kira stared sadly, not wanting to see Jack sad as she laid her head in his lap.

Fluttershy smiled at the cute scene, as she explained "Rarity seems to care an awful lot about you, since you saved her and she was just showing her friendship and appreciation by making that outfit for you. Perhaps she had gone abit over the top, and should have asked you what you wanted; but it's really the thought that counts since she really wanted to make you happy".

"_She's right...you didn't show any real appreciation. Perhaps being honest with her upfront would have prevented all this. It might have hurt her, but at least she would have known. And…ripping it up wasn't the umm...nicest thing to do" he lectured himself, the guilt having gotten to him._ "I…I don't know what to do" he admitted to Fluttershy.

"Perhaps apologize and tell her how you really felt" Fluttershy offered, liking the hopefully expression on Jack's face. Watching him pet Kira as he got up, he approached her shyly as he fidgeted in front of her.

"Ahh, well…thank you for listening Fluttershy, you're an umm…uhh" he said, trying to find the right words. He gasped in shock as he was pulled into a hug by the Pegasus as she hugged him against him with her hooves and wings.

"You're welcome Jack" Fluttershy softly grinned as she released him, watching him head towards the door.

"But I was just trying to do a nice thing for him! Honestly, I didn't know that he didn't like it cause…I didn't ask him" Rarity realized as she suddenly remembered the uncomfortable look on his face, observing what he was wearing with a mixture of contempt and disgust.

Noticing her friends distraught look, Twilight asked "He wasn't happy with it was he"?

"No...he wasn't and I either didn't notice or…didn't care because I was too caught up in what I wanted or what I was thinking of" Rarity admitted to Twilight. Rarity had wanted something simple: A handsome knight in shining armor to come to be with her, and then Jack appeared out of nowhere. So, she thought to dress him in what she thought was suitable, not even considering if he would be upset by the notion.

Twilight trotted up to her friend, as she sympathetically remarked "Maybe Jack grew up in an environment where he developed distaste for what you like Rarity. I have to give him credit since from how he acts, he was raised somewhere rough but hasn't let that completely rule his life, nor what he has experienced. That's a good trait to have, and…what if he felt you were trying to change him"?

Rarity gasped as she immediately protested "I wasn't trying too…too." Did she attempt to change Jack? She had wanted her knight, her prince and was expect…Oh dear; she had been trying to change him! That wasn't right! What if some pony tried to force her into acting or looking different then she was already?

"Rarity" Twilight asked, seeing she was looking down at her hooves. She appeared to be deep in thought, as Rarity looked up determined. "I need to apologize to Jack. I went and did something like this, and I didn't even thank him for saving my little sister". Trotting past Twilight, she smiled at the unicorn. "Thank you twilight" she smiled thankfully.

Twilight smiled back in return to the unicorn, glad she was no longer upset and going to make things right with Jack. Hopefully he would do the same with Rarity. "Anytime Rarity" she nodded. Watching as Rarity turned and left, Twilight wondered to herself "Hmm, I wonder where Jack is anyway"?

"When I see her, I'll tell her that I'm sorry and we'll work through this" Jack said determinedly as he walked through the town square. He had been walking all over looking for Rarity, and was abit lost. Kira had led him back through the woods towards Ponyville, so now he was searching for Rarity. Whilst he was determined to make this right, he was also nervous as hell since he was now solo without any of his friends here to help him out.

"Darn it, where's her house again" Jack grumbled to himself as he ran a frustrated hand through his hair. As he was about to go and look again, he gasped as the world went black as some ponies hooves covered his eyes from behind. "Guess whoooooo" a cocky voice called out. Recognizing it, he smirked "Is it the pony who I owned last time"?

"Hey, you didn't own me" Rainbow Dash smirked, letting go and giving him a playful poke. Seeing his face, she asked "What's with the look? What are you doing"?

"I'm looking for Rarity, I need to..." he started to say but was cut off by Dash placing a hoof over his mouth, stopping his next word.

"Heard what happened, you're looking to apologize to her, she's over their" Dash pointed out. She pointed to the unicorn who was sitting on a bench, looking around for Jack. As Dash watched Jack go, she smirked as she beckoned to the other's as they emerged from out of hiding so they could get a better look and watch the two.

Jack blushed as he looked at the elegant unicorn, as his prideful side was attempting to make him pull out of doing this. Jack Conner apologized to no o.. "Oh shut it" he told himself, knowing that sure as hell wasn't true and that was merely his pig headed pride attempting to speak for him. Why was he getting so nervous all of a sudden? As he stepped in front of Rarity, he noted her shyness. "Err, hey" he spoke awkwardly to her.

"He..Hey" Rarity responded back. The others had said Jack was around in this area, and to wait at that spot. But how would they know he would be their? She was about to come to a conclusion when Jack showed up. "Ahh, sooo umm" Rarity blushed, as she tried to apologize to Jack. Usually in something like this, she would let the other apologize. Not this time, she was going too!

"Look, I'm just gonna get this off of my chest alright" Jack sighed as he sat down next to her. Looking at her, he said "I'm sorry I ripped up your outfit. You worked really hard on this to...make me happy, and I didn't show appreciation for that and...I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings". Inhaling, he thought "Finally got that outta the way".

Rarity then blurted out "I should have asked you before changing your clothes like that, and I didn't even thank you for saving Sweetie Belle, so...Im sorry I didn't consider how you felt".

Staring at his feet, he attempted to chuckle as he remarked "Heh, I guess we both mucked up didn't we"? Now looking into her eyes, he remarked "Good to see we can both look past our pride when we know we're wrong huh"?

Giggling, Rarity nodded "Yeah, I guess so". Scooting over to him, she pulled him into a hug. "Really, I'm sorry and…you say you're not a hero, but I think you are. You saved both me and my sister so…really, thanks". Noticing him blushing, she smirked as she asked playfully "Why are you blushing". She had to fight the urge to burst out laughing as his blush deepened.

"It's uhhh...kinda hot out, and the sun's really hitting my cheek since Im more sensitive tooo light then you ponies" Jack lied badly thorugh his teeth, not liking being put into this position. Hearing collective assortments of giggles, he whirled around behind him and his eyes widened as he spotted the rest of the mane cast smirking at his position. "Son of a..they set this up! They did this on purpose" he thought annoyed. As he was let go, he shook his head chuckling as he announced "We're cool now".

"Indeed" Rarity giggled as she said "Here". Reaching behind some bushes, she handed Jack a new pair of clothes, similar to his old ones as she said "I thought it would be a way of err...apologizing to you".

Jack smiled widely; glad to have his old clothes back and cleaner. "Heh, Thanks a lot" he grinned as he said to the other ponies "Ahh, so apart from setting this all up for us to apologize; what are you all doing here anyway"?

Twilight stepped forward, as she gave a slight cough. "Well Jack, I was wondering if you would be interested in telling the town about yourself"? Seeing the skeptical look on Jack's face, she said "Well, what I mean is that would you be willing to talk at a press conference since not all of ponyville knows about you"?

Jack stared at Twilight hard, as he said "You went and set something up without asking"?

"I...I didn't think about it at the time, since well...I thought you'd be alright with it. You don't have to of course if you don't want to" Twilight blushed as she apologized to the human. Seeing him shift his feet, she blinked as she was asked about the princesses. "Oh, Princess Celestia and Luna should be arriving sometime tonight, they wish to meet you".

Jack blinked as he thought "Hmm, let me think here. Well, if I go and do this I can show the town that I'm not all bad. Aw, but that'll diverge any fun towards causing abit of mischief and chaos". Another part of him argued as he blinked "Where did that come from"? Shaking his head, he said "Ahh, sure I'll umm..go and talk". That seemed to be the magic word, as he was suddenly being gently nudged towards the town center.

"Excellent, every pony is waiting" Twilight smiled, grateful that Jack was willing to talk. She had a set of notes he could use to help if he was in a jam.

Jack blinked as he was given advice from each of the mane cast, as he could see the large crowd in front of a large stage. "Heh heh, say something funny to start off! Best be honest about yourself. Umm, maybe show that you're umm..humble. Pfft, catch them off guard with confidence. Be eloquent and graceful on your approach! Don't be afraid, no pony here will hurt you".

"So as you can see, that's why we…oh, here he is now" The mayor smiled as she watched with slight awe as the teenager staggered as he was pushed up onto the stage. She truly had never seen such a creature before, and that's how most of the town felt as it seemed there was a mixture within the crowd of curiosity and awe of ponies who wanted to know what he was like, whilst the other side was with confusion and fear as they wanted to flee thinking he was dangerous.

Jack looked back at his friends, as Twilight smiled caringly, handing a set of notes to him. Looking out into the crowd, he suddenly felt extremely claustrophobic. He was so not used to having an entire town staring at him like he was some sorta freak of nature. Gulping, he approached the mayor as she shook his hand before stepping back to let him stand in front of the podium.

Stepping up, Jack looked out at the crowd as he gulped. Looking down at the cards, he said "Oh furred sentient"? Looking over at Twilight with a raised brow, she smiled sheepishly as she shrugged. "Oh forget this" Jack grumbled as he placed the cards down. Addressing the crowd, he said "Alright, I'm gonna blunt with you all. I'm well aware that I'm the only human in this town, and so I'm gonna set the record straight. For those of you who are quivering in fear thinking that I'm gonna devour you, or destroy your homes…" He paused as a mischievous smirk etched his features, as he remarked "I'm actually a messenger here to tell you all that I'm a member of an advanced alien race that is coming to invade pony Ville so we can conquer and rule the world".

Snorting at the look of fear on their faces, he smirked "Joking"! Coughing, he said "But seriously, I'm not here to cause any trouble, so uhh if you have question then ask now or forever hold your peace". Staring over at a bookish looking pony with thick glasses, Jack said "Yeah"?

"Ahh, ahem. Does your kind always wear clothing" he asked?

"_Starting off with the award questions huh_" Jack thought rolling his eyes. Shaking his head, he said "Yes, we always wear clothing as its necessary in order for us to maintain are body temperatures at a neutral level, since we don't have the pleasantries of fur keeping us warm". Blinking, he watched as a gray Pegasus with a blonde mane and...weird eyes raise a hoof. "Err, yes" Jack asked.

"Muffin" she asked simply?

Put off by the unusual response, Jack stuttered "Uhhh, sure"? His response was the Pegasus flying up and stuffing a muffin into his mouth. Staring, he slowly removed it as he watched her fly back into the crowd as he silently chomped at the muffin. "She's pretty derpy" he thought. Looking around at raised hooves, he pointed to a blue stallion. "Yes" Jack asked.

"Are you humans strong" He asked, as amongst other male ponies this incited a slew of comments or questions as they looked at one another, wondering what this creature was capable of.

Crossing his arms, Jack answered "If we wanna be strong, we can be. We don't start off strong however, so we have to work are way up in order to get strong". A final hoof raised up, as it came from a filly wearing a diamond tiara. "Are all your kind as ugly as you" she asked nastily. This caused murmuring amongst the crowd, some disapproving, others wondering the same.

"_Well, I can tell some ponies gonna be an ice queen by the time she hits high school_" Jack thought silently as he answered "We don't all look the same. Some are better looking than others, some are not. Ugliness is not in a mirror however, it's in greed, corruption or meanness of spirit if you wanna be simple".

Answering a slew of more question, Jack was thankful when the crowd dispersed one by one, making it simpler to breathe. "Thank god" he thought silently as he noticed it was almost nightfall. "Hey Jack" a certain pink pony giggled as she bounced up to Jack. "Seriously, she's like a cartoon character" he thought, amazed at her. "What is it" he asked. He then noticed that the others were gone.

"Can youuuu head over to Twilights in about thirty minutes, we have something to show you" Pinkie grinned as she hugged the surprised human, and bounced away out of sight.

"You didn't even give me a chance to respond" Jack protested lightly as he sighed. Heading over towards a bench, Jack sat down as he was glad everything had been cleared up today. Last thing he needed was more trouble to head his way. It seemed trouble was gonna head his way weather he liked it or not as he could hear footsteps approach from behind.

"Kinda boring isn't it" a casual voice called out as a teenage boy around Jack's age hopped down onto the bench next to him. He was wearing a plaid shirt, with a poka dotted vest with green jeans and blue shoes. His hair was a grayish tint, and the most surprising features of this guy were his red eyes. Staring at Jack, he smirked "I gotta say, you really surprised me dude. What with being all nice and polite to these ponies when you really don't oh em a thing".

Jack blinked as he got up in shock. _What the? Where had this guy come from! He thought there wasn't any other humans in ponyville, so who was he_? Seeing how calm he was, Jack stated at him silently.

"Pfft, what's with the weird look? I got something on my face" he smirked at Jack.

Jack gasped as he stared at the human...at least he thought he was a human. He had never seen a human dress in such bizarre fashion, or with red eyes. "Then again, I don't exactly look normal myself" he reasoned. "Who the hell are you" Jack asked sternly as he thought he was the only human in this town.

The guy raised his hands in slight defense. "Chill man, I'm just dropping by to say hello. Heard there was another human in town, and I figured I'd say hi to him myself before I headed back to my home". Reaching out a hand, he smirked "Names Sid Crodien".

He was bold; he had to give him that. Jack looked down at the hand, as he slowly reached out and took it as he suddenly felt a strange surge shoot through him. "Huh" he thought as he said "Ahh, Jack Conner" he responded simply.

Sid smirked as he said "Heh, heard about you. Troublemaker and Savior of ponyville. That's kinda a weird title to hold insist it? Then again, I'm abit weird myself". Seeing his expression, Sid smirked "I've lived here for about five years now, and have been living in a secret location within the Everfree forest. I came across some old spells and bada Bing, bada boom; I managed to learn some tricks to keep myself off the radar from these ponies".

"And you never thought about going home" Jack asked, surprised that human had been able to learn magic. This was amazing! He never even knew humans were capable of magic, and yet this guy claimed he could do it without as much as a hint of trouble. Heck, he musta been able to do magic. How the hell else would none of the ponies know about him? He didn't know why he was suddenly becoming so trusting of this guy, was it because he was a human too?

"Heh why should I? I don't have a home back on Earth. This is my home now! My playground to do whatever I want" he smirked as he snapped his fingers as a cola bottle appeared in front of Jack "Cola" he offered.

"Ahh, thanks" Jack stared, as he was amazed at this revelation. This was someone who could help him! If he knew how to use magic, and how to get back home; he could help Jack. Not to mention, it was someone like him! Oh this was perfect! "If you know how to do magic, then you might be able to help me" Jack urged, with awe at Sid.

"I may…but not tonight cause I don't feel like it, and I'm tired" Sid yawned as he smirked "If you ever get bored of hanging with these goody two shoes ponies, try hitting me up some time and we'll have some fun. Oh but, please don't mention me to the ponies, I kinda wanna keep my identity secret". Getting up, he said "It was good to meet ya Jack, I think things are gonna be interesting with you around". Casually walking away, he snapped his fingers as he suddenly vanished in a puff of smoke but not before saying "See ya". Had Jack managed to see Sid's face, he would have noticed it curl into a sinister sneer as his red eyes flashed as it filled with a slight tint of yellow.

"Did that just happen" Jack asked aloud as he slowly approached Twilights home in confusion. Had he really just met another human? As he knocked on Twilights door, he blinked to see it was open as he stepped inside, as the lights turned on and all thought of the other human had left Jacks mind as he fell onto his ass in shock!

_**Heh, sorry not long as the previous one. Welp, managed to get it up! Please read and review **_


	6. Chapter 6

_**My little pony: The Urchin and the Princess**_

_**Disclaimer: Yeah, I'm aware of the errors I've made in spelling and grammar. Also, thanks! I'm pleased with the pace with this story. A lot of the Human/pony stories jump right into the mesh of them falling for each other which is why I'm taking it slower.**_

_**Chapter 6: Hot tempered party**_

SUUURPRIIIIIISEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

"WHAT THE HELL" Jack screamed, falling onto his rear as everything became bright in an instant. Hearing an assortment of cheering mixed with laughter, he looked to see that Twilight sparkles library was covered in an assortment of party decorations. The mane cast, along with Spike cheered for Jack's arrival as well as a large group of other ponies from the conference. Looking around at the food, presents and games; he found himself flustered and put off guard. Getting up, Jack had completely forgotten about the encounter with the strange human as he blushed lightly "W..what is this"?

"What is it? It's a party for you Silly" Pinkie giggled, hopping in front of Jack and putting a party hat on his head before hopping back.

Jack became silent as he looked down. "Y..you put on a party for me" he asked. These ponies they…went to all this trouble…for him?

"Course we did, it's the best way of saying that we're glad to have you here" Applejack smiled, as her friends nodded in agreement.

Jack remained silent as he tried to control his emotions. It had been a long time since anyone had thrown him a party, and he was honestly touched by the kind gesture. He had a reputation of keeping it cool though, so he swallowed whatever "over the top happiness" he had within him, as he looked up with a small smile as he commented "…thank you".

Entering into the room, he looked around in a mixture of awe and amazement. The ponies sure went above and beyond the call of duty whenever it came to throwing a party. In fact, they seemed kinda similar to how humans threw parties. Cept for teenage humans, it usually involved opening a keg of alcohol and involving some underage drinking. That's how Jack used to party until about a year ago when he was fifteen.

Someone he knew in the neighborhood was throwing a party when their folks were outta town. He snuck into the party, and had a couple of beers. Sadly, the alcohol affected his judgment and made him into a bit of an ass at the part as he remembered he was constantly throwing up, and tripping over his own feet. Someone he dragged him and tossed him into the bathtub so he could sober up. Unfortunately, the cops had shown up and started to arrest anyone who was drinking underage. Luckily, he had managed to climb out a window and sadly fell..straight into a dumpster. He laid there for a few hours before the cops had left, and he made his way home.

After that little incident, he hadn't had a single alcoholic beverage. "These ponies have it all" Jack thought with slight envy as he approached the fruit punch bowl. No alcohol, no illegal substances. This world was so perfect, that it didn't need to rely on illegal drugs to help one relive themselves of stress. "Lucky ponies" Jack muttered aloud.

"Sooo, what do you think? We got ice cream, cookies, lemon drops, brownies, cupcakes, sugar coated buns, candy, slo" Pinkie had bounced out of nowhere, as she started to list all of the types of food and beverages they had.

"Whoa whoa slow down" Jack smiled sheepishly! Was Pinkie Pie just on an all happy, all sugar diet? It would certainly explain how cheerful she was, and how she was always bouncing all the time. Shrugging, he said "I'm probably just gonna give the brownie a try" he shrugged casually. Whilst he did like sweets, he preferred to keep the consumption of sweets to a minimal. Popping a small brownie into his mouth, he immediately thought "Well, their brownies certainly taste the same as ours".

Jack's eyes shot open in shock, as he suddenly felt a welling heat bubbling, erupting from his throat that burned as if he had just swallowed a gallon full of hot sauce. Sweating nervously, as he could see the faces of ponies who were struggling not to laugh; he couldn't hold it back as he opened his mouth and a slew of fire erupted. "SPICY" he shouted in alarm, as he panicky looked around for something to cool his throat as it felt like it was now on fire!

Staggering over to the punch, he dunked a cup as he attempted to poor it down his throat to sooth the spiciness. All he felt was a coolness on his short, as he opened his eyes to see a hole in the cup that had made the punch spill over his white hoodie. Hearing the laughter of the others, he looked around confused as he tried to register what had happened.

"Ha ha! Oh Celestia, the dribble glass plow. Gotacha Jack" Rainbow Dash cracked up, causing more laughter amongst the ponies, as Dash grinned at Jack; showing she had been the perpetrator behind that little prank.

Jack quickly downed fruit punch through a glass that wasn't pranked, as he panted and tried to catch his breath from the spiciness. Panting, he glared at Dash as he attempted to laugh it off. "Ha ha, I'm laughing" he muttered sarcastically. Blinking, he thought "What's with me"?

Usually whenever it came to being pranked, Jack was a really good sport. When he was eight, his buddy Kent had pranked him on April 1st by setting up a bucket filed with chocolate milk to soak Jack, when he had attempted to walk into Kent's room. Jack had at first appeared angry, but then grinned as he tackled Kent and started putting Chocolate milk into his hair. This should have been nothing, and yet he strangle felt..defensive…more defensive then he should have been.

"It's no big deal" he told himself, harmless fun. Chuckling weakly, he passed by the ponies uncomfortable as he spotted Twilight. Smiling, he thought "At last". "Hey Twilight, when are the princesses supposed to arrive" he asked. He had a lot of questions for them.

Twilight smiled as she said "They should be arriving sometime within the next hour". Noting the impatient look on Jack's face, she had a feeling that he was rather eager to discuss how to get home, or at least how Equestria worked.

"Hey Jack, come over an bob for Apples" AJ called as she wanted Jack to have his luck at the game, as Lyra and Bon Bon finished up.

Approaching, Jack felt something knick against his head a she turned in the direction of where it came from, not noticing a strange liquid being poured into the water. Turning back, he shrugged "Huh, guess it was nothing". Staring into the water at the apples, he plunged headfirst into the water and moments later emerged with a red apple in his mouth, as he grinned victoriously. Notching the ponies laughing, he asked "What"?

Staring back into the water, he gasped as he could see his jet black hair had been died a ocean blue. His hair! His jet black hair was now blue! Looking down at the floor, he struggled to keep his anger in check. This was not cool!

Feeling his cheeks flush with embarrassment, he was handed a towel by AJ who was struggling to control her giggling.

"Hehheh, oddly enough you look more natural with blue hair rather than black" AJ grinned through her laughter, as she failed to notice the flash of anger directed at her by the human.

"He..heh" Jack laughed weakly, now becoming annoyed. Dyeing his hair like that was a really dirty move on their part he felt, as he usually wasn't one to be caught off guard and hum… "It's just pranks you sensitive moron" he scolded himself.

Walking away from the punch bowl, he looked over at one pony who caught his eyes. She had a rocking mane, with a mixture of blue and teal. She was a unicorn as evident from her horn. She had white coat, and a similar blue/teal colored tai. Her most distinguishing features however were her shades. She was from the looks of things, scratching things up. "Wonder if you can request anything" Jack thought as he approached her. "Heya" he spoke politely to the DJ.

"What's up" Vinyle grinned as she high hoofed the human.

"Not a lot, are you taking request" Jack asked as he wanted to see what if he could try singing something from when he was a kid. Receiving a nod, he looked over at behind where Vinyl took songs. A small portable computer with list of songs were displayed on a small monitor. Seeing a microphone, Jack spoke "Kryptonite". Watching it flip through stations, he smiled as he saw it halt on Kryptonite by Three doors down.

"Yeah, that's the one" he smirked, as he asked for a microphone. When Vinyl nodded, she started to play the song. As he heard the familiar 90's song begin to play, Jack looked up as he noticed the ponies dancing halted as they started to hear this song they had never heard of before. The bear was apparently pleasing to them, as some started to go along with it; liking the drum's mixed with electric guitar.

Approaching the crowd, Jack looked into the mike as he counted to himself as he waited for it to reach the starting point, as he began to sing.

_=Kryptonite=_

"_I took a walk around the world to ease my trouble mind, I left my body lying somewhere in the sands of time" Jack begun, getting the attention of the ponies in the room as they stared at this stubborn, sarcastic, and abit rude human; not expecting him to have a good singing voice. _

"_I watched the world float to the darkside of the moon..I feel theirs nothing I can doo…yeaaah" Jack shrugged as he bopped his head up and down at the beat, inciting his friends to follow suit in a way as he started to snap his fingers with what he heard. _

"_I watched the world float to the dark side of the moon…After all I knew it had to be something to do with you. I really don't mind what happens now and thennnn" he dragged off as Jack's legs started to move with the song, whatever anxiety and defensiveness he was feeling starting to leave him. For the next line, he pointed at the mane six. _

"_As long as you'll beeee my frieeend at the ennnddd" he smirked as the song kicked up. As the drum solo kicked in, the ponies were now much more into it, some of them jumping up and down, others stomping their hooves along with the song. Jack leaped into the air, as he shouted "If I go crazy then will you still call me superman If I'm alive and well, will you be there holding my hand I'll keep you by my side with my superhuman might Kryptonite". _

_Pleased at the sight of his friends dancing, Jack glanced over at Vinyl as he noticed her bopping her head, grinning at the song as she high hooved Jack, who smirked back in response. Eyeing Rarity, he smirked as he noticed her starting at him. No doubt she was impressed by his dancing skills! _

_Rarity was listening, and watching in armament at Jack's singing, so put off by it as she was stunned a she suddenly danced up to her, and gently pulled her up in front of every pony with him as he heard him sing "You stumbled in and bumped your head, if not for me then you'd be dead I picked you up and put you back on solid ground". Being twirled into place as he gently released her, she found herself blushing immensely as she murred to herself "Oh my..", not knowing that was not ment as a love statement._

_Repeating the song, Jack smiled as he back flipped in mid air, amazing the ponies as he did a Chinese jump up kick, landing on his feet as the song came to an end._

Rubbing the back of his head as he handed the microphone back to Vinyl, he thought "Well, that went well". Going to meet his friends, he was immersed by comments and praise. "Heh, it's just a little song I remember from when I was a kid" Jack admitted sheepishly. He had to admit that it really felt good to cut loose and have some fun. Forgetting all about the misplaced anger from earlier, he blinked as he saw a huge cake get pushed out of nowhere.

"Cake for the party guest" Pinkie giggled, as she presented the vanilla cake, with pink frosting. Pushing Jack up to it, she grinned "Blow out the candles".

Nodding, Jack inhaled as he blew away; existing sting the flames. "What the" he thought in surprise as he saw the candles suddenly relight themselves. Staring oddly, he blew once more as the candles once more went out and once more came back on. Getting annoyed now, he inhaled a lot of his breathe before releasing only..for it to come back. Hearing snickering from the others, he glanced over at Pinkie.

"Relighting candles, classic" she grinned at Jack.

"Hehheh…" he chuckled feeling the defensives anger come back. Shaking his head, he blinked as he wondered what was wrong with him. Five minutes ago, he was dancing and having the time of his life. Now he was getting annoyed with them over harmless pranks. "Humph" he huffed as he looked over at AJ who was challenging other ponies to arm wrestling..or was it hoof wrestling. Getting a completive look in his eye, he thought "Let's see how strong country girl is".

"Yo AJ, I'll take you" Jack smirked as he sat down at the table where AJ had just finished Rainbow Dash. Hearing a collective Oooo from the crowd, Jack shot them all a cocky smirk as he noticed AJ's look.

"What! Get outta town. If I couldn't beat Applejack, then what makes you think you can" Rainbow Dash asked, as she poked Jack in the shoulder smirking.

"I'd listen to Dash if I were you Jack. Maybe amongst humans your one of the strongest, but I don't know if they can match up to a pony in strength" AJ commented, crossing her arms as she grinned playfully at the human.

"I don't know if I can win, then again I don't know if I'll lose. Only one way to find out you know" Jack shot back, as he placed a hand onto the table and locked it in place as he looked at AJ who was staring at him with a mixture of skeptism and amusement. "Hey, we don't have to do it if you don't want..I can understand if you're scared". That touched a nerve as he saw AJ's competiveness come back full streak.

"Ah ain't scared of nothing. If you think you can go hoof to hoof with me, then by all means let's get it on" AJ declared as she locked her hoof around Jack's hand. As they readied, she smirked "On three. One…two…THREE"!

Jack grunted as he put his full force into his arm, as he found himself…surprisingly holding his own for a few moments since it was clear that he stood no chance against AJ in the strength department. As his arm was slammed down, he shrugged "As I thought, I stood no chance".

AJ was surprised. Surprised that Jack had last a few moments since he wasn't a pony, and since it was clear he was weaker than her, but what surprised her most was his graciousness when he lost. "Well, I'm surprised you last against me, and I'm glad you didn't get upset" she smiled honestly at the human.

Eyeing over at the dart board in the corner, he smirked "I can win at darts however. I'm strong for a human, but I can defiantly beat any pony here in a game of accuracy. Anyone wanna try me"?

"Oh yeah? Any pony huh? You think you can tango with me" Dash remarked, as she stepped up in front of Jack. Going past him, she smirked "I happen to be an expert when it comes to darts, so you'd best back out now".

"I prefer action over talk in a competition that I know I can dominate" Jack responded as he stepped up next to her, as he plucked out a dart. Staring at Dash, he said "How about we make things abit interesting? Whoever wins gets big badass points"?

"Your on "Dash shot back.

Twilight chuckled as she whispered to Fluttershy. "Its like looking at Dash competing against Dash".

"Hehheh, they sure are completive" Fluttershy agreed.

"_Me, he was referring to me" Rarity thought alluringly. When Jack had sprung out during the dance, and started to dance with her she felt like she was in her fantasy world. Dancing with her love, as they celebrated being in one another's presences. She had to admit, she was quiet literally swept off her hooves by his dancing; but was pleased by it. She became unpleased when the dance ended and Jack started to participate in the party games. _

"Boom baby" Jack laughed, pumping his fist into the air as he landed up near the bull's eye on his first shot. Crossing his arms, he eyed over at Dash.

"Hows this? Oh yeah" Dash shot back grinning, as her dart landed in the outerrim of the bull eyes. Getting another shot, she tossed her dart into the air cockily as she shrugged "This is too easy". Tossing it, she gasped as her cockiness got the better of her and she missed the target all together.

Jack on the other hand was in his element, as he thrusted the dart and shot a victorious smirk as it landed and got himself badass points! "Hooooo yeah "laughed Jack as he jumped into the air in victory. Turning next to Dash, he smiled as he stuck out a hand. "Good game" he said to her good naturally.

Dash hated losing. It made her feel like a failure at times, but when she saw him stick his hand out to shake her hoof, she smiled modestly as any annoyance left as fast as it had appeared. "Good game" she admitted to him.

"Ummm, we have umm..presents here for you" Fluttershy softly spoke to Jack, getting his attention as he approached. Looking down, she said "I umm...well, got you or umm...well..". Realizing he was staring, she said "I'm sorry, I..". She was cut off by any further stuttering as Jack hugged her, causing a tiny eep and light blush to etch across her cheeks.

"You don't have to be so shy around me, he spoke simply to her" Jack said, smirking as it was he who made her blush this time, and not the other way around like it had been the last few times. Turning to the presents, he thought "Last time I got presents was...hmm, maybe a few years ago? Wow, time really does fly bye". Ripping off the wrapping, he was surprised to see a tiny V shaped necklace, that was embedded around a red casing. "Huh, from Fluttershy" he asked aloud, as he turned to smile at her.

She smiled back as she explained "It stands for valor, since you're a really brave human. Heh heh, it's almost as if your purposely seeking adventure at times. So I thought it was appropriate".

"Thanks Flutter" Jack smiled at her. As he went through the rest of the gifts, he suddenly felt hungry. Remembering the cake, he turned as he went to go and grab a slice.

Unfortunately, it was at this exact moment that Spike had chosen to play with a remote controlled car that Pinkie had gotten Jack, and he was letting Spike use as Spike accidently drove it in front of Jacks path. Realizing what was about to happen, Spike gasped in shock. "Jack, watch ou.." Spike called out.

"WHooooAAAaaaaa" Jack shouted, eyes wide as Spike had accidently hit the accelerate on the car to hard that Jacks foot landed on it, and the momentum of the car sent him forward as he went and landed face first into the cake. The entire room became silenced by this skeptical as the ponies watched as Jack slowly lifted his face out, frosting dripping from his cheek as his face had become plastered with vanilla frosting. A snort came from one of the ponies, as suddenly it caused a chain reaction of laughter amongst the ponies at the party as they pointed and laughed at the hilarious spectacle.

"Wh..what just happened" Jack thought, his mind still catching up with what had occurred. Wiping the frosting out of his eyes, he looked around slowly at the sight of the ponies laughing hysterically, some of them pointing at him as they held their guts to try and contain themselves. Humiliation and anger mixed within Jack, as he winced at the laughter of all these strangers. Staring over at his friends, he thought "Their not laughing, they'd support m..oh".

They too couldn't stop themselves from laughing, as Jack glared not wanting to show how hurt he was. He was took a step forward to yell, when Pinkie trotted up and slapped him playfully on the back at how fun he was; unaware of how he felt. This mixed with the frosting that had dripped onto the floor, caused him to trip and fall forward to the floor; inciting more laughter from the ponies.

Crraaaaaaaaaaaaaack.

Jack froze, suddenly ignoring all else that occurred within the room as he heard the distinct crack of something he held dear to him break. "No...Nonono..please no" he begged internally. With a shaky hand, he gently reached into his pocket and removed the golden chain he kept so dearly from his pocket, as he slowly popped open the watch. Blinking as he saw shards of glass fall from where it had broken, he stared emotionally at the picture.

With how Jack appeared or came off as, self confident, strong, sarcastic it would think that whatever it was; it certainly wasn't something of any important sentiment.

Instead, what laid within was a picture. A pair of humans stood in front of sleek aircraft carrier on a bright sunny day at an airport. A tall man, in his mid thirties, with a black hair, in a crew cut hair style, green eyes; dressed in military fatigues was standing beside a tiny boy with similar black hair, hetrochromic eyes, wearing a white t-shirt with blue overalls. The man was hugging the boy, who looked around six as the boy was happily hugging the man back. At least he was as a small shard of the glass had slight ripped the pic, barely making the man's face recognizable.

Finding himself slowly shaking, Jack stood up slowly as he kept his head low; wanting to hide the tears of frustrated anger; as he thought "How could they...it's all...all I have left of him and they wrecked it..". The irrational side of him wanted to stand up and start trashing the party, make them feel the sorrow he was feeling. But no, no way was he gonna sink to that level and act out like a baby!

Instead, Jack turned without a word swiftly as he opened the door, forgetting to pick up the picture in his emotional state That got the attention of his friends, as they noticed him leaving

"Jack? Hey Jack where ya going" Pinkie asked, barely catching the frown on his face. Her friends followed suit in calling after him.

Rarity blinked as she looked down on the ground to see the broken remains of what Pinkie had wanted to see, noticing the picture as she approached and noticed its state. As she picked it up, she realized who the boy was as she looked back up in time to see the door slam shut; as Jack left. "Jack..." Rarity spoke softly, realizing that the innocent pranks had gone too far.

They had little time to reflect this however, as suddenly the room glowed with a mixture of white and blue as a brilliant beam of light emerged within the middle of the party. The light slowly faded as it revealed two tall creatures. One of them had fur that was pure white, whilst the other was a night blue. They resembled both unicorns, and Pegasus as the alicorns stared around the party at the guest who bowed their heads in respect at the sight of them. As Celestia stepped forward, she smiled "I was informed that a human was here, and he wished to speak with us".

Twilight blushed embarrassed, by the fact that the pranks had driven their friend away and now Jack wasn't here to greet them as she stepped forward to explain herself.

"Son of a bitch" Jack swore, as he kicked at a stand; knocking over some fruits as he wiped off the last of cake from the party. Trudging through the night miserably, he blinked as he kicked at a few more things. He was angry. He was angry at everything, and everyone. Himself, his friends...everyone.

He was angry with himself for allowing his emotions to get the better of him, and not enjoy himself at the party. He usually was good at controlling his emotions and yet it felt like they had been given a..push if that was the appropriate choice of words into becoming much more emotional.

He was angry with his friends, for damaging the only thing he had left of his father. When his father died five years ago, that picture was the only thing that reminded him of his dad and he treated it with care and respect everyday..it was precious to him. They had the nerve to damage it!

Growling, he sat down in a huff at a bench as he felt like he wanted to just disappear and leave. To hell with Equestria, and to hell with the ponies! "You don't really mean that" he told himself as he lowered his head in shame. Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack and everyone else. They were his friends. How could he even think those things?

"Hey, are you alright kid" A voice called out to Jack, causing his head to snap up as he caught sight of Sid staring at him with what appeared to be mock concern. Sid approached as he sat down next to Jack on the bench, as he laid his head back casually. "Saw what they did to yah through the window, real friends you have their" Sid smirked at Jack.

"They were just...harmless pranks...and I never asked for your opinion" Jack grumbled, as he did his best to ignore the other teen. Staring away, he muttered "What do you want anyway"?

"I stopped by to see if you were alright. After all, humiliating you like this isn't what I call a friendly thing" Sid snorted, as he snapped his fingers; causing a cigar to appear as he took a puff from it. Making it vanish, he said "Here's the deal, these ponies have done you a great injustice. Hurting you, and making you feel like crap. Embarrassing the shit outta ya. Tell me, have you ever heard the old saying "An eye for an eye"?

Jack stopped as he looked up, and as he said with wonder "What are you saying"?

"I'm saying that I'm bored right now since everything here is so orderly, I think throwing in a little chaos will help lighten things up and at the same time help get abit of retribution for ya for what they did" Sid shrugged as he clapped a hand on Jack's shoulder. Giving him a grin, he asked "What'd ya say to a little misconduct"?

Jack was tempted to tell this guy to go jump in a ditch and die, but when Sid placed his hand on Jacks shoulder he felt...compelled to go along with what this guy was saying. Hell, it could be fun to cause some trouble as he did many times when he was much younger. He was feeling particularly vengeful tonight as a slow smirk etched over his face, as he glanced at Sid.

"What'd you have in mind"?

_**There, next chap is done. I do hope that I didn't make Jack appear too out of character or emotional here. Whilst he is sarcastic, tough, and self confident, at the same time he can be sensitive. Well, till next week if I do manage to get something up before Christmas. If not, then Merry Christmas ya'll till next update!**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**My little pony: The Urchin and the Princess**_

_**Disclaimer: Welp, I hope you all had an awesome Christmas. I spent mine with my dad and sister in Arizona, and had alot of fun. Okay, now with the meeting of the Princesses, though here its gonna be...well read and find out ^_^**_

_**Chapter 7: Royalty meetings, and Apologies**_

_Jack was in his own little world._

_The skies were a vivid forest green, with waves of blue swaying bye with an almost angelic hum that accompanied the waves. A small chunk of rock floated in the middle of the empty space, boundless and alone. The house resembled that of a Washitsu, Japanese styled home. Within the home sat crossed legged, dressed in Japanese samurai attire was Jack; his hair slightly longer and tied into a long ponytail. Sitting in front of him was an herbal tea set, as he gently sipped in solitude. _

_Jack sighed as he gently sipped the tea. This was defiantly enjoyable. Ever since he had managed to get to Japan, things had gone great for him! He had managed to use the diamond he had stolen from those mobsters; he now was able to go wherever he wanted. So he chose Japan, cause he had never been and well that was one place he wanted to go to; more so than Ireland. Now he had his own home, living on his own terms and finally was away from his asshole step dad. Yep, life was grand._

_Smirking, he looked over himself at his blue garments, black pants and sandal as he smirked "Heh, I even look cool". Whenever he had been on YouTube back in New York, he watched alot of Japanese films and had sort of a..Well fascination for them. So, now he sorta looked the part!_

_Blinking, Jack stared out the windows as he had been sitting there for...how long now? He didn't know but the green skies were certainly an amazing sight. Wait, green? That wasn't right. The skies were supposed to be blue. Whoever herds of the sky being green? Well of course, he saw it whenever he left his home...home.._

_Speaking of which, when did he buy this home? How long had he lived in Japan now? What city was he in? Getting up, he slowly walked towards the front door as questions plagued his mind. How did he manage to even get to Japan? He had traded the diamond when he..he...when did he trade in the diamond? As he opened the door, Jack gasped as he stepped back; blinking several times as he stared down at the empty void. _

_"This..this isnt...I must be..." Jack stuttered as he looked up and suddenly, as if the barrier that had been blinding him, smothering him on his view of what was real and not real; collapsed all at once._

_"I'm dreaming" Jack stated as he walked back into the house, as he sat back down and tried to remember what had happened last. He was at a party, he got mad and left and...and then what had happened. He couldn't remember! Did he fall asleep when he left the party?_

_"Hmm hmm, this is quite a lovely home you've created for yourself" An otherworld voice chuckled out of nowhere. _

_"Heh heh, tis an interesting world that suits thy taste" another voice chortled, alerting the human as he looked around in disbelief in shock. Where was that voice coming from?_

_Jack blinked as suddenly a two bright spheres of lights spun into existence out of nowhere in front of him as he staggered backwards, shielding his eyes from the lights in shock. As the light intensified, he grunted "WH...What's going on"? The light seemed to radiate off a powerful heat, causing Jack to fall backwards onto the hard wood floor as he stared up at the spheres of light as they slowly vanished. Blinking mouth gaped, his eyes widened as two tall pony figures appeared from the light. They appeared to be of the same race, since them both had horns, wings and...Long flowing manes and tails. _

_One of them had a rainbow mane and tail, with cream white fur as she bore a crown. Her violet eyes danced with amusement as she looked down at the shaking human, who looked no doubt intimidated by her appearance. _

_The other's mane and tail, was a deep blue, that sparkled and shined as her ocean blue fur shun lightly as she raised a brow at the humans appearance. The humans clearly looked more sophisticated since the last time she saw them. She had a similar crown on her head. _

_"..the hell" Jack gasped up at the two. He had never seen ponies like this before. Unicorns, Pegasus but..what were these? Jack watched as the two looked at one another smirking, as they erupted into giggles. This rubbed him the wrong way, as Jack narrowed his eyes and grunted "What are you two laughing about huh"? He wasn't about to go and be mocked by two weird looking ponies._

_"Hmm hmm, tis amusing that for one who pride's one being tough; Thou certainly changes tunes when comes across something thy has a hard time believe in" Luna chuckled as she trotted up to the human, and leaned down to him as she came face to face with him. Watching as he attempted to look tough, she broke that when she gave him a kiss on the forehead; just to mess with him; as she laughed at watching him back up on his rear._

_"Gaaah, what the hell? Who are you two" Jack demanded, as he pointed at them in anger; caught up in his emotions as he failed to notice the crowns on their heads. _

_"Pardon are intrusion, but we figured since we haven't properly met before; the best way to meet you was in your dream" Celestia smiled warmly as she stepped forward and introduced herself. "I am Princess Celestia, ruler of Equestria; and Goddess of the sun" she beamed. They had arrived last night to see if Jack was at the party Pinkie had set up, and yet he had left right after their arrival._

_"I am Princess Luna, ruler of Equestria as well, and Goddess of the moon" Luna bowed her head to the human. _

_"Oh shit, these two are..uhh...oh crap" Jack gulped as he realized these were the two he had been trying to meet this entire time! The two that could help him get back home, and decide his fate! Gulping, he stammered "Ahh, I uhh..I didnt..". He was surprised as Celestia stepped forward, and patted his head reassuringly._

_"You certainly have quite a lounge Jack. Heh heh, much different from the last group of humans that had been here a long time ago" Celestia smiled as she noticed Jacks shocked look. Grinning, she nodded "Yup, humans had been here before. Perhaps before you ask your questions, you would care to hear"?_

_Jack nodded, as Celestia smiled "Long ago, this land was called Pony land and the ponies were much simpler. There were no cities, only towns. A small group of children, much younger then you had arrived to save the ponies from an evil entity called Tirak"._

_Jack listened to the tale of Megan, Molly and Danny, the ponies, the Rainbow of light, and how Pony land was. As the tale wrapped up, Jack blinked as he heard how eventually the children had grown up, had left and the magic of the Rainbow of light had split and ended up within two ponies; Luna and Celestia; transforming them the powerful beings they were today as they assumed responsibility over the sun and moon. He learned how the ponies had relied on Megan and the others for leadership but they decided they needed to rely on themselves in order adapt and move on. However not all was well, as tension rose between Unicorns, Earth ponies, and Pegasus as they wished to live on their own terms alone and in separation. However, they eventually found unity amongst one another when they discovered a new land that they decided to call Equestria, where they would be ruled over by a fair and just pair of royal sisters._

_"Wait, this place wasn't so perfect? Ponies had problems amongst one another" Jack asked, not able to believe what he was hearing. This place seemed so…so..perfect! Ponies not fighting, getting along and living in a peaceful society. It was everything that humans wanted. World peace, unity, and no wars! "So you were a lot like humans at first but were able to learn how to get along…too bad we can't do the same" Jack grumbled as he stared down at the ground in annoyance._

"_Have faith dear Jack, for although thou's race has many problems and which leads to much conflict, thy race shall eventually be led to an era of peace and prosperity" Luna smiled encouragingly to the human as she approached him. "Thou represent much struggle amongst humans I am led to believe" she asked kindly._

"_That's putting it lightly, and you ponies aren't exactly perfect. My "friends" proved it last night" Jack snarled lightly to himself as he remembered how their pranks had caused him to break the last thing he had of his father, how they had laughed cruelly at his pain. He hated his friends. He hated that town. But mostly., he hated himself for allowing him to trust them._

"_Ahh yes it is a tradition amongst some ponies to prank newcomers in good fun, and to help strength a bond but perhaps they had gone too far as…" Celestia drifted off as she recalled spotting the broken remains of the necklace that contained the picture. _

"_I'm usually really good a taking pranks, and I laughed at a few of em but..I don't know I felt really defensive that night; like they were meaning to actually hurt me or something. Then they make me break my dad's necklace, and laugh about that. That was going too far" Jack snorted, wanting to stay mad at them as he sighed bitterly. How could he face them, knowing they had mocked what he held dear to him?_

"_After the party, I stormed out and went for a long walk…" Jack lied, not wanting to tell the two princesses about his encounter with Sid. They didn't seem to notice as he snorted "How can I face them after what they did"? He became silent as he stared off into space sadly, finding it difficult to cope with. When his old friends moved away, he had none and had been alone for so long. He had thought had found new friends that he could count on and yet. And yet.._

_He said nothing as Celestia approached and softly spoke "As wondrous as friendships are, there are always problems as not all friendships are perfect. Even building up on trust there can be complications. However, I'm certain that your friends didn't mean it when they laughed. After you left, they're spirits lowered greatly". Seeing the shocked look on Jacks face, she smiled "They care about you Jack, and I could hear how sorry they were for what happened. Perhaps you should give them another chance"?_

_They had been sorry? He didn't expect that..after everything that had happened._

"_They laughed at what I held dear..they" Jack said weakly as he tried to justice his actions, but was interrupted._

"_Did they know it was dear to you? Did you tell them" Celestia asked with an edge to her voice._

_That deflated any argument..he hadn't told them because he didn't want them to know. He didn't want them to know, out of fear of thinking they think he was some kind of wimp. "I didn't want them to know cause…I was afraid..they'd umm..judge me as some sort of wimp" Jack admitted down casted. _

_Luna approached as she seemed to drop her canterlot speaking voice for a more ordinary one. "I was afraid myself when I came back on Nightmare Night, the ponies reined in fear and I was afraid they were judging me for the misdeeds that had turned me into Nightmare moon. Whilst some ponies did, a few saw past all that and offered friendship to me despite my worries and constant fears. Had it not been for them, I might not have become more open about how I feel. How can they know how you feel if you don't tell them"? _

_Jack became silent once more, as he was left deep in thought. He never told them how he felt, because he kept shaking it off. He would hide his feelings from them, and cause he didn't explain about what the necklace was; all he said was it was important. Even if it had been damaged, he could see that it had been an accident and it hadn't been their intent to make him upset. They were sorry!_

"_I..Don't know what to do" Jack softy let out, as he stared at the table at his feet. His thoughts were interrupted as he could feel a high flowing wind, sweep all around him. Looking up at Celestia and Luna, he could see them slowly vanishing. "Wait, where are you going" Jack called out to the two, not wanting to be alone as he realized that…isolating his feelings behind a wall of sarcasm was making him alone. _

"_Think about what we said Jack, we shall meet again" Celestia and Luna called out as their bodies' glowed blue and white. The light blazed and increased greatly as it started to approach Jack. _

_Jack raised his hands to protect his eyes as the light became so blinding, that he disappeared within it as he was enveloped…_

"WHOA" Jack shouted as he sprung up, panting heavily as sweat poured down his brow. Shaking his head slowly, he breathed as his eyes slowly adjusted and things came into view as he realized where he was. "I'm back in the guest room of Rarity's home" he spoke to himself, as he looked around slowly. How did he get back their? What did he do last night? He..he…why couldn't he remember? Groaning, Jack rubbed his forehead as he thought "Why can't I remember anything..".

His thoughts were interrupted as his bedroom door opened, and in popped the head of Sweetie Belle as she spotted the sleepy Jack. Her features split into a wide grin as she hopped up onto the bed and tackled Jack in a hug around his neck. "Hiya Jack! Slept well" she giggled as she hopped down.

Jack was surprised by this, as he stuttered out "Why'd you do that"?

"You saved me silly! You're a hero" Sweetie Belle grinned as she said "I wanted to thank you for that! It was so awesome how you came out of nowhere whilst I was falling, caught me and went into a roll! It was fun! Dangerous and abet scary, but really fun"! Noticing the sweat on his face, she became concerned as she asked "Did you have a bad dream".

Thoughts going to Celestia and Luna, Jack lied "I..I guess I did". Blinking as he suddenly thought about last night, he asked "Ahhh, where's your sister"? He kinda hopped Rarity didn't tell Sweetie Belle anything about last night since he really didn't want to look like a wimp in front of a little kid. "_She's a friend, why not tell her since she won't judge" A part of him argued. "Shut up" he thought back angrily, as he shoved the lecture back away._

"Rarity fell asleep downstairs on the couch, she was really exhausted since she didn't go to her room at all. She musta been cause she was out at that party for a long time" Sweetie said, crossing her hooves as she looked down.

"Looking for me, she was out looking for me" Jack mumbled quietly to himself. He couldn't believe it! Why would she… "Because she's my friend" he muttered again, touched that she would do such a thing for him.

"Huh? Whatcha saying" Sweetie asked curiously as she stared at the mumbling human.

"Ahh, nothing..anyway ah..what's up" dismissed Jack as he stared at the little unicorn. Noticing how shy, and detached she suddenly became; he asked "Is everything alright"?

Sweetie Belle gulped nervously as she confessed "Well umm...today is umm..show and tell at..at school. I don't really have anything to umm..show and tell to the class, but I was wondering if you…well if you wanted to umm.."

"You wanted to know if I could agree to come with you, and be paraded around in front of all your classmates" finished an extremely blunt Jack as he crossed his arms raising a brow, a hint of amusement in his voice. From what she had seen whenever they talked, she knew that he didn't like to draw attention to himself and usually kept out of the way of others. "Heh, she must really like you if she wants to go to the trouble of asking" Jack mumbled to himself.

Watching her flinch, he smiled as he kneeled down next to her. "W_ell..best get to um..being more open about my feelings" he thought as he pulled her into a gentle hug. "_Sure thing kid, it would be good for both of us really. Me for getting to know the residents of ponyville better, and you for having something to show at show and tell" Jack remarked with a joking tone in the last thing he said, as he playfully messed up Sweetie Belles mane; inciting a laugh from her.

"Heh heh, you're funny! This is gonna be so cool! C'mon, let's go now! I want to meet up with Apple bloom and Scootaloo" Sweetie giggled as she rushed out of the room.

"Wait up" Jack called after all as he scratched the back of his head. She was full of energy that one. Nowhere near as Pinkie.

Ten minutes later, Jack was accompanying Sweetie Belle, Apple bloom and Scootaloo towards their school house, as the three chatted endlessly with one another on how exciting the escapade was. Jack was barely listening to be honest as he was focusing on well..wondering how he was gonna handle being around so many kids at once. Heck it wasn't that he was terrible with kids..or not that terrible really, but its just also he had to worry because these kids were also ponies.

He couldn't exactly say whatever the hell he felt like, since he was also gonna be in the presences of a teacher. Rolling his eyes, he chuckled "Heh, I sure gave some of my teacher's hell back when I was still in school". Yeah, after he went to live with his jackass step dad, well maybe not immediately after; he would go around and get himself in too detention constantly.

"Whoa! Look at that" Scootaloo gasped, forcing Jack out of his thoughts as she pointed at the disaster sight in Canterlots market.

Jack gasped as he stared in shock at the mess. Tables, and stands had been tipped over; spilling what occupied them. Food was smeared and scattered all over the nearby windows, with a huge amount of soapy water having completely soaked the ground; causing a lot of ponies to trip. A butt had been spray painted onto a wall, proclaiming unearth it "PONZES STINK"! A giant, paper matched of what appeared to be a dragon; had been replaced with various limbs of random animals. Finally, a broken piano had smashed on top of a statue of Princess Celestia.

"What in Equestria happened" Apple bloom gawked as she stared over at the others. "This wasn't like this the other day. Sumthin musta happened last night! Pranksters I bet" she declared determined.

"Some of these pranks aren't very nice though. I mean wrecking a statue of the Princess, or replacing a paper matches limbs with other animals" Sweetie admitted, staring lightly.

Jack meanwhile was staring hard at the disaster sight, eyes widened as he thought to himself "Wait…I left the party last night, I…I met Sid! Yeah, I remember I met him and then…then…what happened? Did..did I do this? How could I have? I would have remembered it all" Jack told himself insistently as he stared in slight sorrow at the disaster sight as he watched the ponies that were running the market, cleaning it up miserably. "Poor ponies" he mumbled as they passed by. That musta been really..

"So Jack, what happened last night" Apple bloom asked curiously, snapping Jack out of his thoughts. They really had to hurry it up since they were running late for school.

"I'm sorry..what" Jack asked, as he stared down at the earth pony. Nervousness crept into his voice, as he hoped she hadn't asked what he thought she asked.

"Well, when Applejack got home last night, she was really upset since she said you went and disappeared from the party they had thrown for you. Said you were really upset about sumthin" Applebloom admitted. Noticing the uncomfortable look on his face, Apple bloom figured she had hit the nail right on the head as she continued "Why'd you leave the party last night Jack"?

That got the attention of the other two, as they stared up at Jack innocently; wondering the same thing as Jack gulped. This wasn't good. He remembered the dream with Celestia and Luna, how they said that they wouldn't know unless he told how he felt. He could probably manage that with the girls sure..probably. But not with kids! There was some sort of unspoken rule between kids and teenagers. Teenagers had to make it appear that they were confident, cool and didnt look like a wimp. That's what he was gonna look like if he relayed how he had been hurt last night!

Crossing his arms, he lied "I…I felt tired and..and I had to go". He hoped that they would drop it at that, but he knew that was a no go when Apple bloom raised a brow as she shook her head disappointed.

"Lying isn't a very nice thing to do Jack" Apple bloom stated, not knowing she had hit a nerve. She wasn't willing to give up on the spot since her stubbornness pushed her into finding out what it was, yet she stopped when she saw his angry face.

"Alright, I am lying. Truth is, I don't want to talk about it; so please drop it" Jack responded bluntly, not looking to share his problems with them. Seeing their hurt looks, he sighed as he said "It's really personnel to me, and I don't feel ready to share it".

Scootaloo smiled, as she said "It's alright Jack, you can tell us if you want and when you're ready". Though it was obvious through her tone that she really wanted to know now, since well it was common for kids or anyone really. If someone has a secret, they want to know what it is so they can find out what the suspense is all about. Sadly, these kids were gonna be disappointed.

Shaking his head, Jack froze at the sound of multiple laughter as he slowly looked up and blinked as he spotted the school house. The red building sported a flagpole, a tower with a bell that rung to mark the start and end of classes, and a picture-sign on the lawn with an open book and the silhouettes of two rearing fillies It looked like a typical school house, as it was surrounded by fillies and foals rushing giggling towards the door way.

As Jack followed the Cutie Mark Crusaders towards the schoolhouse, he wondered to himself weather or not things would go as smoothly as he hoped it would…

Rarity was the last to enter Twilights library, barely acknowledging Twilight as she passed by as she was still wrapped in her own thoughts on what had occurred the other night.

What was supposed to be a night of fun, and thrills turned sour when Jack had left with a rather distraught look on his face. It didn't look like he had fun with the pranks that he fell for. Whilst it was traditional to prank new ponies, it was done all in the name of good fun to show how glad they were to have them here. It had never been done with a human before, so they had no idea what was going to happen that night.

Looking up, Rarity bit her lip as she saw all her friends, with similar looks of depression as what happened sunk in. They had really hurt their friend, why? Not from the pranks, though it didn't help. What had hurt him were the pieces of what the broken necklace that Twilight was holding as she showed it to the others.

"What is it" Rainbow Dash asked, as she hadn't gotten a good look at it the other night. The other ponies gathered around, as they stared down at the picture of what seemed to be an adult human, and next to him a smaller, very familiar human. "Is that..Jack" Rainbow Dash asked, staring at the boy.

"Ah think so, and that must be his dad I'd be willing to bet" Applejack mused, as she looked up. "Jack did seem rather protective of this didn't he" she asked. Receiving nods, she said "I don't understand, why he would..".

"Perhaps where he's from, his father is very far away. Living in another town, or city" Twilight logically stated as she explained "My parents still live in Canter lot, so I haven't seen them in a while myself. Maybe he misses his dad".

"Hmm, when he slipped and fell, Jack musta thought we were laughing at him for breaking his necklace. Bu..but we were laughing with him, I didn't that he would be hurt like this" Fluttershy spoke softly, as she brought up an interesting point to the others. Jack must have gotten upset because he thought they were laughing at him for breaking something that was important to him, and he thought that they hadn't taken his feelings into consideration.

"OOoo, I feel awful. If had known that necklace was so important to him because of this, then I wouldn't have come up with the pranks at the risk of breaking it" Pinkie cried out, shocked that she had gone and hurt her friend in such a manner. Looking up, she said "This is awful, we need to find Jack and apologize"!

"But we don't know where he is, and.." Twilight started to point out when Rarity interrupted.

"I think he's taken my little sister to school" Rarity spoke up softly, getting their attention. Continuing, she stated "I usually accompany Sweetie to school, and perhaps Jack did that too since when I woke up late, Sweetie was already gone; and she wouldn't have gone by herself" Rarity stated, as she thought back to how she and the others went looking for Jack last night but didn't find him. "Maybe, he came back and took her to school" Rarity suggested, hoping that was the case.

The others seemed to accept this notion, as Rainbow Dash spoke "We should apologize to him once he comes back, and do something else for him umm…". Getting an idea, she said "Hey Twilight, do you think maybe you could fix his necklace with your magic"?

Twilight beamed at this, liking the notion of being able to fix it when Rarity interrupted "I shall do it, it looks abet worn and I could make it more new for Jack so that way he'll know that we wanted to make it better for him". Receiving nods, Rarity sighed as she said "Once Jack comes back, we'll all apologize for last night's events and let him know that we'll take his feelings into consideration in the future".

"Ahh, as you all know I'm a..Jack. It's nice to meet you all" Jack bowed his head, as he stood in front of the class. Miss Cherrilee was suspired by his appearance, but glad as she saw this as an opportunity for the class to learn abit more about humans, so she allowed him to stay. Receiving a combined hello from the class of foals and fillies, Jack rubbed the back of his head as he was asked a series of questions on what he liked to do, what humans ate, and why humans had small manes.

"Curious much" Jack whispered to himself, as he rolled his eyes as he answered their questions slowly. However one question made him pause as a foal named Pipsqueak spoke up.

"Excuse me Mr. Jack, but what's your special talent" He asked innocently, wanting to know what cutie mark Jack had. That was something others had on their minds as well, they leaned forward in anticipation on what this human's talent was.

"I…well umm" Jack crossed his arms, as he stared down at his feet. That was a good question. What was his special talent in life? However, he supposes he should give them an answer as he snapped his fingers. "I suppose my special talent is my sharp tongue" shrugged an indifferent human as he chuckled at the confused looks on their faces, all but Cherrilee who was shaking her head in amusement. "Heh, you know it's bad when your acknowledging that you're a smart ass" Jack chuckled to himself as he said "But for humans it hard. When we think that we've found something we've always wanted, or gone through hardships to accomplish a goal; we think "Hey, maybe I should try something else, or I wish I had done this. It's hard for us to be sat fisted with what we've done since we always want to change in life".

"That sounds really difficult Jack, how do humans ever get things done when all their thinking about is doing something else, or wanting something else" Cherrilee asked from her desk.

"That's a mystery that even I don't know" Jack grinned jokingly, as he scratched the back of his neck. Continuing to answer their questions with patience's, he smiled as his turn was done as he went to go and sit down in a chair that the teacher had set up as he watched the next pony go up. Suddenly, something wet and slimy smacked against the side of his head. Feeling the coldness, he though "Huh"? as he saw it was a spitball shot from… He stared as he spotted Diamond Tierra and Silver spoon snickering cruelly as Silver held a small spit shooter.

He gave them a hard stern glare, but quickly shifted into a smirk as he watched Apple bloom shoot a spitball into Silver's mane, enticing a shocked cry which caused her to blush in embarrassment at her snickering classmates.

"What goes around, comes around" Jack chuckled as he watched Silver spoon give Apple bloom a nasty glare.

Jack let out a sigh as he opened the door to Rarity's home, eager to go and lie down after a long day of being at school. A rest would do him a world of good, since he wanted to go out and do more later since he separated from the kids after they went off to go and search for more things they could do to earn their cutie marks, and Jack really wasn't in the mood to do so. So as he stepped inside, the last thing he expected to see was all six of his new friends as they gave him a sad look.

Silence followed afterwards as no one said as word, obviously the events of the night before playing in their heads as they wondered how should respond to one another. Rolling his eyes, Jack chooses to break the ice as he said "Hi…". Receiving an assortment of hellos, he crossed his arms "So, what's all this about? I win the lottery or something"?

Rarity could see past his jocularity, that he was still upset as she trotted up in front of Jack as she stared into his eyes. Pulling out from behind her back the necklace, she gently placed it in Jack's hand as she stepped back to observe his reaction, silently praying that he liked what she had done.

To say Jack was stunned was an understatement as he looked down with awe at his necklace, hardly recognizing it. It had been spruced up to a obsidian black, with a red strip surrounding it that seemed to shine brightly off any reflection of light; and when Jack opened it he saw the same picture but now guarded by beautiful glass, rather than the smudged one that he was used to. Looking up slowly, he said "Yo…you fixed this up…for me"? He had wondered where his necklace had gone since he had no idea where it went and was surprised by its reappearance.

"Jack…we're all awfully sorry for what happened my dear. This necklace, this picture is very dear to you and our pranks last night caused us to thoughtlessly break it" Rarity spoke softly, sadness in her eyes.

"Jack, if we were going to far last night, then why didn't you tell us to stop" Rainbow Dash asked, as she wanted ot know what kept him from speaking up.

Jack became silent as he admitted "It would have been pathetic for me to..to ask you to stop, since I figured every pony went through this and I didn't want to seem like I couldn't handle it, and..".

"If you're hurting Jack, you need to tell us. That's what friends are for! We can't read minds, and holding back makes things worse for both you and us, since it makes it appear that you don't trust us at all" Applejack explained.

"Umm..I think I saw some tears and..and we didn't mean to make you so upset" Fluttershy apologized, as she stared awkwardly at her hooves.

Finding it strange to see them all apologizing, Jack said "I don't understand, why are you…".

"Because you are our friend Jack! Friends aren't supposed to make their friends sad" Pinkie said determined as she trotted up to him, the other's following. Looking down, she said "It was traditional for ponies to prank one another in good fun to show how much we were glad to have you with us, and I guess it went too far since…what happened with your necklace breaking".

"We meant no disrespect Jack, and we hope you can accept are apologies" Twilight smiled lightly. "It doesn't matter to us weather your or a pony or not a pony, you our are friend and..we don't want to lose your friendship" Twilight admitted, smiling weakly.

As Jack sat there, staring at the ponies he thought back to what Celestia and Luna had said to him, what he had heard from the kids. What they said to him had wisdom, and they were trying to convince him to forgive and forget; but that was something he had to decide! A part of him wanted to believe them right there on the spot, to trust them without thought but..look where that had gotten him! He didn't trust them immediately upon first meeting the ponies sure, but he did learn to trust them when he spent time with them. They truly seemed apologetic, and although he could forgive them..that didn't mean he was going to trust them.

Crossing his arms, he snorted "Do you really think this is gonna make it all better? A few "I'm sorry, a hug and expecting happy ending"? No. That's not how things works. In the life I've lived, I usually give them one shot and if they turn out to not be who I thought I was…I'm not even to acknowledge their presences.

Watching the pony's expression mix with shock at what he was saying, he grunted "I can forgive you for the pranks last night as they were unintended to go so far, but this…" He pointed down at his newly crafted watch as he shook his head "This is not something I can forget so easily, and be willing to be friends again". Suddenly, he found himself unable to stop, becoming more suspicious as he accused low "This was nothing more hen an attempt to guilt me for my justified anger, wasn't it"? Before the ponies could erupt into protest, he raised his hand as he sighed "I treated you all as friends, if you wish for that to resume then best work to re-earn my trust, otherwise…I've got nothing to say to any of you".

With a snort, he turned on his heels and left them in silence.

_**Wooo! Finally back, and jeeze that was a long one. Welp, I hoped you al liked! Till next time! ^_^**_

_**Special thanks to Xifihas: Thank you for pointing that out! You were right, It completely goes against Jack's character for him to be so forgiving and trust them immideatly after a sorry. Thank you for pointing that out.**_


	8. Chapter 8

My little pony: The Urchin and the Princess

Disclaimer: A lot of good feed back, and helpful ones. Thank you everyone ^_^

Chapter 8: Process of redemption

For the next few days, Jack seemed awfully quiet and didn't seem as talkative towards his friends. He would wake up and eat in silence around Rarity, but be talkative with Sweetie Belle. He would do some volunteer work for Applejack in silence, yet he would communicate with Big Macintosh. It seemed that he was simply back to where he had been with them, complete strangers and keeping his distance. For the ponies, they had been surprised by Jack; expecting him to accept their apologies since it seemed so simple.

But humans were much more complex it appeared that it would take more than a simple sorry to make everything better again. No, in order to be friends again; they would need to attempt to reach out and do so. But it seemed that they weren't doing it a lot, or were too nervous to even make an approach towards Jack for fear of him snapping at them, or rejecting their offered friendship.

Over the last few nights, Jack found himself approached by Sid, the magic endowed human. Sid would offer to take Jack around town, cause some minor mischief like spray painting some walls, wrecking some stands; heck last night they had replaced the water fountain supply with cola. The first time, Jack wasn't interested in pranking but now he was more inclined to do it willingly. Nothing too serious though, just minor stuff. Heh heh, that was kinda funny he had to admit. He found himself trusting Sid more and more as they spent more time hanging out, maybe because he was a human, or because he was also a human and therefore easy to relate to..If you took out the whole "being able to use magic thing that is".

Jack sat in Ponyville Square, on his own today as he watched the other ponies trot by ideally, as he let out a tiny chuckle as he watched some of the fillies and foals, dunk their faces head first in cola fountain and drink as he snorted "That stuff has defiantly gotta be dirty". Lying backwards on the bench, he stared up at the sun as he flinched at the brightness. That was probably one similarity between Equestria and Earth: Both suns were bright as hell.

"Heya Jack" a cheerful voice spoke up.

Sitting up, Jack looked around for the source of the voice; yet he could see no one in sight. Looking down, Jack was surprised to see Spike looking up, waving with a slight smile. Sighing, Jack patted the bench spot next to him; as he watched the dragon hop on up. Jack hadn't really spent a lot of time with Spike really since he had been going from one place to the next with the Mane 6. No, that wasn't true…he hadn't done it since he had assumed that since Spike was a dragon; that he was cruel and vicious on the first time he met him.

That was completely biased, since Spike was actually a really nice guy..err..dragon. So, he probably didn't fit into the stereotype of kidnapping princesses, and placing them in tall towers. "_Though I swear if he did kidnap a princess, and then place her in a castle; I think id freak if I went to rescue the princess and only found a Toad that said "Sorry Jack, but your princess is in another castle". I always hated that asshole Toad, to the point where Id wanna…whoops getting off topic" he thought._

Shrugging, he smiled as he offered Spike a high five. "Spike, what's up" Jack asked casually.

Spike smirked as he high fived the human, finding him really laid back. Spike had actually kept away from him for abit, since he had noticed that Jack seemed to come off as an even more sarcastic then Rainbow Dash, and was..well abit intimidated by that; and him not being a creature of Equestria. But then after what had happened at the party, or what he had heard; he figured maybe he could use a friend! "Not a lot, I just wanted to come and see how you were doing" Spike smiled, as he noticed Jack giving him an odd look. "What" Spike asked curiously?

"I just can't believe it" Jack chuckled, putting a hand to his head. Staring down at confused dragon, Jack smirked "You are completely different from how dragons are described in fantasy book.

"Fantasy books? Theirs fantasy books about dragons? I don't get it. Why would there be since dragons are obviously real" Spike asked, not understanding.

Pointing at the dragon, Jack retorted "Here their real maybe, but where I'm from; dragons are make believe stuff. In a some books, dragons are stereotyped as cruel, vicious and wanting to destroy. That's a pretty biased view from what I see" Jack commented.

Spike crossed his arms, as he rolled his eyes thinking "Oh brother, and here I was hoping that dragons were portrayed as heroes where Jacks from". Shaking his head, he said "No offense, but your world sounds kinda boring. I mean, no magic, no talking ponies..No dragons". Throwing his arms into the air, he exaggerated "How do you humans manage to go through each day without getting bored senseless. It sounds like theirs not even any adventures where you're from".

"Oh they're adventures alright. We usually just don't take the leap to go for them, or don't know where to find them. Sooo, we resort to making one up". Noticing the determined look on Spikes face, Jack raised a brow as he asked "What's with the face".

Spike placed a claw into his hand palm as he said "I got it! I have an idea for an adventure, for something that we can do! Getting up, he said "You like exploring or doing active stuff right? Well why don't we head towards the outskirts of town and dig up some jewels"!

Jack stared at the dragon, in disbelief. Dig up jewels? Granted, jewels were nice to have and if he could get back to earth somehow, he'd be freaking rich; but that was it? "Ahh, no offense but is that all? Just digging for jewels because it doesn't sound very adventurous to me".

"They're the possibility of being attacked by moooonnnssters" Spike smirked, waving his digits eerily as if to add a spooky effect towards them. He knew he had already won as he watched Jack look very interested now, as he got to his feet.

"Monsters huh? Well, I do need something to let out some pent up stress" Jack said, a tiny smirk etching his features as he cracked his knuckles as if eager for some action. Looking at the little guy, he asked "What's so special about these jewels? Do they have magical properties? If so, maybe I could learn how to use magic". Now that sounded interesting! If he knew magic, heck who knew what he could accomplish!

Spike shook his head, as he said "Their not really worth a lot, and really are just ordinary jewels to be honest". Hearing Jacks last statement, he stated "CA..can humans even use magic? Huh, I don't know; I mean even if they could where would your magic come from? You don't have a horn"!

"That's why I would use my hands. Magic is supposed to…eerr, well should come out of..hands" Jack commented, as he stared down at his palms; imagining lighting shooting out of the tips of his fingers like they did whenever he had a lucid dream. Those were the most fun!

"Well then, let's get going right now; I'm eager for some action" Jack chuckled as he followed the leading dragon.

"I don't get him Twi, I really don't" Rainbow Dash said in an annoyed tone. She was pacing back and forth in Twilights library, as Twilight watched the aggravated Pegasus. Clearly the business with Jack was really getting to her. Twilight would be lying if she said it wasn't affecting her too, but it was. Rainbow Dash stopped, as she turned around and exasperated "WE apologized to him, and that wasn't enough! Why"?

Twilight placed a hoof to her chin, as she thought "Well from what I gather, it's going to take more than an apology to make things right. From where Jacks from, things are more complex and therefore harder to solve problems with an "I'm sorry".

"Well that's really lame. I mean, what else can we do" Dash pouted as she plopped down on a chair. She was bummed not only from Jack denouncing that an apology wouldn't go, but because she didn't get a chance to race and hang out with him. Heck, she had been looking forward to seeing what he was capable of in an agility course since that seemed to be a specialty of his! Now she wasn't gonna be able to get that chance with him upset.

"Maybe you should just go over their" Twilight suggested, still working up on a plan on what she and Jack could do to spend time together. She had admitingly expected Jack to come back after abit when he left to say he didn't mean what he said,but when he didn't that got Twi thinking that they were the ones that needed to make things right! "Hmm, what could he like that we could do together..hmmm" Twi thought.

"What do you mean? Just go over that just like that" Rainbow Dash snorted, finding that way too easy. "And what then" Dash insisted, wanting to see if Twi was serious or not.

"Well, whatever you wanted to do with him; ask if he would like to do it. You'd be able to re-earn his trust faster and that way you'd become friends again" Twilight insisted, as she suddenly got an idea! Jack was really skeptical and supposedly fascinated with magic; or at least that's the impression that she got from him when they first met! Perhaps she could ask him to participate in some magical experiments! Attribute increasing, transformation, personality change; that would certainly be a way to past the time and who knows! He might find it fun!

"I need to ask him that the next time I see him" Twilight thought, suddenly becoming excited as not only was it an opportunity to find out more about humans, but it would be a good way to re-earn Jack's trust!

"So you're saying that I should just fly out there, go looking for Jack and ask him if he wants hang again" Rainbow asked skeptically. Putting a hoof to her chin, she shrugged lazily "Meh, why not! Better than just sitting around here and doing nothing all day"! Turning to face the window, she smirked "Then I'm outta here! If you see Jack stop by; tell him that I'm looking for him"!

With a zoom, she soared out of Twilights window.

"C'mon Jack, they're around here somewhere! We just need to dig em up" Spike grinned excitedly as he looked around at the landscape of boulders, and dirt. Examining the ground closely, he said "For unicorns they can look through the earth and see them, but for dragons we can sniff em out! Hmm..Let's see here" Spike thoughtfully mused as he started to sniff around the dirt.

"Yeah, yeah..Jack muttered absently mindedly as he dug around at the dirt bored. This was Spikes idea of an adventure? Pfft, not exactly what Jack had in mind for one! Heck, sure it had been fun to come out here on the outskirts of town but this wasn't what he had in mind for adventuring. Kicking at some dirt, he decided to see if he could find out if Spike was any fun. "Soo Spike, have you ever done anything uhh..crazy" Jack asked bluntly.

Spike blinked as he looked up thoughtfully as he smiled "Well, there was this one time where I thought I was gonna be replaced by Twilight with her pet owl". As Spike told about what happened, what his plan was and what he had dressed up as; He was surprised to see Jack snort with laughter. "Huh? What? What's so funny" Spike asked in a mixture of confusion and aggravation.

Jack shook his head as he said "Y..you actually dressed up in a cape, top hat and for effect; added a twirly mustache"? Snorting, he smirked "Next thing you'll tell me is that you tied your girlfriend to the rail road tracks, whilst a train is speeding down it at a hundred miles an hour". Realizing his confused expression, Jack explained "The stuff you wore sounded like something from my world; a character named Snivley Whiplash; old timey villain that did stereotypically villainous things".

Spike blinked as he glanced up and imagined Rarity being in that situation. Her tied to a rail road track, calling for help as Spike charges to the scene; in his knightly form as he bravely deafest SNively Whiplash. Leaning in for a kiss, he grinned lightly as he thought of the heroic dream of him saving Rarity as he smirked "Heh heh, that does sound kinda nice actually".

Jack reached down to grab a pointed rock, but froze as it felt..leathery. "The hell" Jack mused as he gripped the earl, and pulled up as he yanked up something through the dirt and found himself staring into the yellow eyes of a…muscaurl dog like creature. It had large muscles; bore a dirty green vest and pants as it snarled at Jack for holding its ear. Sweating, Jack chuckled nervously as he tried "Err…sorry"?

BIFF! OOF!

Jack was sent flying backwards as he landed with a grunt on his back, as he rubbed his cheek. "Well now, that wasn't very nice" Jack muttered as he got to his feet. Blinking, he stared as suddenly from the ground popped up two more of this dog like creatures, all similarly muscular and ugly looking. "Err, Spike what are these things" Jack asked as he backed up, narrowing his eyes.

Spike stared as he backed up next to Jack, as he stuttered "Di..di..di..Diamond dogs"!

Jack raised a brow, as he pointed "You kidding me? These guys are the diamond dogs"? Looking them up and down, he noticed their dog like feature and how whilst they appeared strong; he knew that appearances could be deceiving. Him for example could to these guys appear to be a weak, inferior creature that can't possibly defend itself from them. That's probably what they were thinking since they kept glancing at one another; chatting amongst themselves.

A slow smirk etched Jacks features as he cracked his knuckles, suddenly feeling an urge to get the blood pumping. "Best way..a good ol fashion brawl" Jack smirked as he lunged at two of them; nailing one in the jaw with a right hook, and his buddy with a back handed fist. Wincing, he grunted "Oof, you guys have rough skin; but I can tell that hurt you more than it hurt me"!

"Jack! What are you doing" Spike demanded, surprised by Jacks rash actions as he rushed next to him.

"What's it looking like I'm doing? I'm burning off my anger by taking it out on these assholes! Looks like their faces got beat with the ugly stick" Jack taunted, knowing that would rile up the dogs as they slowly started to surround the two. Striking a fighting pose, Jack chuckled "Come get some..."

One of them charged at Jack like a rapid dog (pun intended); with a murderous glint his eye as he reached for the scrawny creature! It was surprised as it lunged at it, as it leaned back; avoiding a slash across its chest as it whirled around and kicked the dog in the back; sending it sprawling to the ground!

"Hoo boy" Jack laughed, as whirled around in time to see one of the dogs take a wild swing at his head! Ducking under the swing, he used the dog's momentum against him as he smacked his arm away from himself as Jack brought his knee up and with a grunt, nailed the diamond dog in the chest. He watched with satisfaction as the creature let out a moan of pain, as he held his gut from where all the wind had been sucked out of. Nodding, Jack then grabbed the dog by the neck as he reared his fist back and socked him one in the chin.

Shaking his fist, Jack grunted "Oh damn, your skin is tough". He let out a gasp of surprise as suddenly he was grabbed from behind, and lifted up in a bear hug as he squirmed to get himself free. Grunting, Jack remarked "Yeah, real tough getting me in bear hugs! Can't fight me like a man..or a dog? Or whatever"! Looking ahead, he flinched as a dog was about to lunge and bite at his neck! "Oh crud" Jack thought, eyes widening.

Spike however who had been both shocked, and filled with awe at the moxie that Jack was displaying; decided he wasn't gonna let his friend handle this alone. Leaping into the air, he used the edge of his tail to drill against the diamond dog that was holding Jack. Watching as the dog yelped in pain, he whirled around growling to face Spike who let out a cocky smirk, as he inhaled and exhaled a spew of green fire; scorching the dog's chest!

Jack felt the dog's grip loosen as he ducked, and watched the other dog sail overheard and bite his buddy in the neck; causing the scorched dog to let out a higher shout of pain. Smirking, he delivered a leg sweep to the dog's ankle, sending the two sprawling on top of one another. Whirling around to face two more, Jack smirked as he shouted "Pile on"! Tackling the two to the ground, he went into a roll as he got back up and pumped his fist into the air. "That's right! That all you got"!

Spike meanwhile was on the run as the one he burned was chasing him straight towards another whose back was turned. Getting an idea, he kicked at the dog's hind leg, forcing him to turn around just in time! The one chains Spike yelped as he collided with his buddy as Spike grinned, apparently the enthusiasm that Jack had was spreading out towards him! "This is great" He grinned, not able to stop himself.

"C'mon, can't we just talk about this" Jack mock pleaded as he defended himself from a dogs swipes with a thick stick he had picked up, as he used it to block and deflect the dog's wild attacks. Jack may not be a resident of this world, but he could clearly see that the dog wasn't too smart for someone so big. "Following the "Strong but dumb" routine I take it" Jack grinned, watching as the creature fumed with anger as he let out a mighty roar and slashed through Jack stick. Jack leaned back and received a slice through his hoodie, as he looked down and thankfully didn't see blood.

As Spike rushed next to Jack, Jack glanced down at the little guy. "Hey Spike, how much more of the shooting fire can you do" he asked, or more was asking how powerful he could make it.

"I can make it pretty powerful but I don't want to lose control" Spike retorted as the two watched as the dogs slowly started to circle the two of em. "Why Jack, do you have an idea" he asked.

Jack glared at the dogs with a cocky smirk, as he whispered "I think I do. However you turn up the power of your fire breathes, does so now and is ready to unleash it". As the dogs moved in closer, Jack eyed Spike as he watched Spike inhale a huge amount of breathe as he held it in, looking at Jack for confirmation and watched as..Jack loosened one of his shoes?

The dogs looked at one another in confusion as they snarled. Whatever plot the human was trying to pull, they weren't about to be fooled again and made out to be losers! Leaning back, the dogs lunged at the two; ready to pummel them!

"Now" Jack thought as he leaned down and gripped Spike, as he tossed the little guy into the air above him. Using his free foot and hands, he punched and kicked away at the dogs that attempted to lunge at him, as he suddenly balanced himself on his hands as he raised the foot with the loosen shoe into the air as he glanced up to see Spike falling back down; somehow his breathe still being held. Catching him with his loosened shoe, he used his other leg to spin the shoe around in a circle, as Jack shouted "Do it"!

Spike burped as he let out a torrent of green fire, as it spewed around; nailing all the dogs that were attempting to attack them; causing them to scattered back in fear and pain. Spike awed in shock as he finished spewing fire as he watched the dogs grip their burnt, and some flaming chest in pain as they collapsed to the ground. "That was Jack's plan" Spike thought, thinking about how nuts and..and cool it was!

Apparently having had enough of being humiliated by a little dragon, and a human; the dogs yelped as they turned tail and scattered away from the boys, leaving them in silence as naught but the silent wind comforted them as they slowly looked at one another. As if reading each other's minds, their blank expressions shot into cocky grins as they let out a cry of victory! "WOO HOO! Yeah! That's right" Jack laughed, jumping up and down at how much of a rush that was!

"That was awesome! I can't believe we did that! The plan of yours was completely nuts, but it was completely cool at the same time" Spike grinned widely, still having a hard time believing that they were both alive and having pulled off something so cool! Blushing, he remarked "I had no idea I could really increase my power in my fire that much too actually hurt those dogs".

"Heh, looks like you were a lot tougher then you thought huh little guy" Jack grinned, giving Spike an encouraging pat on the back. As Jack was about to ask exactly how he had been able to hold in the fire without throwing it all up, he was surprised as suddenly a powerful gust of wind shot by him, causing Jack to raise his hands to shield himself from unexpected wind. Looking around rapidly, he blinked in shock as he watched as ascertain rainbow manned Pegasus landed in front of him.

"Heh Heya Jack" rainbow Dash grinned, deciding to go for the upbeat and cheerful approach as noticed the look of surprise on his face, shift into awkwardness. "Oh great, still upset. Hmm, maybe I should back out I mean..this…wait, what am I saying! I'm Rainbow Dash! I can do anything I set my mind too" she thought determinedly.

Jack kept his arms crossed as he stared at the Pegasus. "What do you want" he asked bluntly, gasping as Spike rushed past him to greet Dash.

"Rainbow Dash! You missed it! Jack and I fought off a gang of diamond dogs! It was so cool! They were coming at us from all sides! But we kicked their butts, like this" Spike grinned excitedly as he started punching and kicking at the air as if he was hitting some targets.

"What? There was a fight just now and I missed it all? Aww Celestia that sucks! I shoulda been here earlier" Rainbow Dash pouted, upset that she had just missed a throw down.

Shrugging, she smiled "Aw well; I managed to find you Jack and that's all that matter" she smiled lightly as she trotted up towards him, eager to tell him of her idea. She froze as suddenly he snorted, and turned away. "Oooo you won't be mad for long "she thought smugly, as she said "Jack, I came to find you because I wanted to see if you wanted to be in a race that I managed to set up for just the two of us in Pineville square"?

"A race in ponyville? What kind" Spike asked, speaking up as Jack raised a brow at Dash's eagerness.

"Heh, only the most awesome race you'd ever get the opportunity to be in! It's filled with set up traps to keep ones adrenaline pumping, and requires more agility then speed; something that Mr. Human here seems to aspire in" Dash grinned, noticing him look away. Shrugging, she said "What'd you say Jack? Are you up for a race"?

"As tempting as that sounds I'm gonna say no" Jack shrugged indifferently, as he turned his back on Dash. It defiantly appealed to his completive side, and he did like anything that kept him moving; but he didn't know if he could trust Dash enough yet for something like this. However, all doubt seemed to throw out the window on what she said next.

Narrowing her eyes in frustration, Dash rolled her eyes as she thought "Darn it! He's so stubborn. Alright then, if I can't appeal to his completive side, guess a wound to the pride will do". Shrugging, she lazily commented "Hey, it's cool. If you're scared, and know that you obviously wouldn't stand a chance against me then I wouldn't blame you. I'd be scared of me". She smirked as she saw him flinch, knowing that she had hit the right spot.

Jack slowly turned to face her, any sense of reason been tossed aside and replaced by a senseless need to protect his pride; as he retorted with a low, annoyed voice "Come again"?

"Oh you heard me. But hey! It's completely cool. I don't blame ya for being scared, since it's obvious that you wouldn't win in any sort of contest against me" Dash continued on, baiting Jack as she knew she was defiantly getting under his skin.

Now Jack was getting angry, as he felt his temper rise. He wasn't about to let himself be talked down to by a rainbow styled pony! Storming up to her, he retorted "I could handle anything that you throw at me Rainbow Dash, anything at all. If you think I'm just gonna sit here and let you talk down to me like this; you're sorely mistaken. You wanna race me so badly, fine"! Poor sucker had no idea he had just been played..

Rainbow Dash couldn't hold back a grin, as she remarked "Awesome! I hope your prepared to eat my dust Jack, because dust is all your gonna see when we race". She then spat into her hoof, as she offered to shake Jacks hand in a sign of hard core competiveness.

"Humph" Jack smirked back with eagerness to prove her wrong, as he spat into his hand and shook her hoof tightly. "I really do hope you realize what you've gotten yourself into Dash" he said low as he watched her nod.

"Heh, alright then…lets head their right now" She laughed as before giving a chance for Jack to speak, she flew up into the air and under him and Spike; bringing them onto her back as she zoomed off at high speed towards Ponyville. "Hoooooldd onnnn" she called up to them playfully, as she started to do barrel rolls whilst soaring through the air; surprised at how well she could handle herself with the extra weight of a human.

Jack himself was surprised by how agile she was, and how athletic she could be to pull something like this! If this was how she could handle things when she wasn't completive, he could only wonder what she was like whenever she was racing! Probably fast, aggressive and cocky as well. "Kinda like me really" Jack thought to himself with a slight snort, as he shook his head in exasperation.

Landing in Ponyville, Jack stumbled off of Dashes back; as his balance slowly returned. She defiantly did live up to the name Rainbow Dash after all. Looking up at her, he commented "Not bad". That got back at her, as he noticed her mood shift to prideful, as he smirked at the retaliation.

"Say what? Not bad eh? Oh you'll see more then not bad once we start through this" Rainbow Dash dramatically announced as she pointed out over towards the obstacle course she had set up. It involved climbing up a large rope ladder, hopping over a high fence and crawling through tire tubes, scaling up a wall whilst logs were tossed down from above, then sliding down a huge slide whilst sliding to avoid bumping into some hard cushioned dodge balls and finally ending it with; jumping over a high gap and through a ring of fire! "If you wanna get through this course, you'll need style, endurance, radicalness, awesomeness" Rainbow Dash declared cockily.

"Aren't those last two the same thing" Jack asked ideally, raising a brow at Dash's sheepish grin.

"Maybe to someone who isn't that awesome" Dash playfully jabbed, knowing she got Jack who glared at her.

What Jack didn't realize was that Dash had gone around, and asked if the others wanted to watch her and Jack go through this course, and race to get to the finish as fast as possible. A small crowd had already gathered on the side of this makeshift obstacle course, as the rest of the mane six slinked into the crowd; spotting Dash and Jack exchanging banter.

"Alright then Jack, are you ready to lose" Dash commented, as he pointed at her wings. "To make this fair since you don't have wings, I won't use mine; I'll still beat you even without them though" she grinned at him.

"Humph, losing the wings is a mistake that will cost you once I leave you in the dust" Jack retorted as stepped up to the starting line confidently. Leaning down, he grunted as he stared at Dash who did the same. This would probably be his one shot in showing her up on who exactly was the best when it came to some things, so it was probably best that he didn't blow it.

"Ready to go? On three! One! Two…" Dash paused for dramatic affect as she looked over at how determined Jack appeared a fire in his eyes as he nodded slowly. "Three" she grinned as the two shot off like a pair of bullets! Dash grinned as she rushed towards the ropes as she lunged at it as she wrapped her hooves around the rope, and started to pull herself using naught but her hooves.

Hearing the cheering of the crowd sent shivers down Jacks spine, as he was reminded that they were being watched and that if he didn't want to go and make a fool outta himself; he had to be ready for anything that Dash through at him. Leaping at the rope, he locked his legs around the bottom and his hands around the top as he used his own body weight to pull himself up rigorously, thinking about how he was gonna celebrate his victory upon winning as he glanced up at how high the rope was.

Dash smirked as she managed to get herself up first to the top and vaulted herself over the high wall as she went into a roll and took off into a hard trot towards the next objective, already having the time of her life in this completive race!

Jack reached the top, as he hurled himself over; going into a roll as he spotted the tire tubes and Dash already inside. Diving into the tubes, Jack grunted as he started to quickly crawl on his hands and knees in an attempt to get through as quickly as possible, letting out a light swear as he staggered and almost tripped himself up. Recovering, he glanced at the other set of tubes across at the equally determined Rainbow Dash, apparently having it in her head that she was gonna beat him. "Heh, not likely" he snorted.

Dash grunted as she felt herself get caught for a moment, as she muttered "No way, I'm not gonna lose like this"! Putting in more pressure and more, she forced her way through as she went into a gentle roll; shaking her head in exasperation. "Hah hah" Dash grinned as she scrambled towards the wall, finding Jack already making his way up.

Jack grunted as he climbed up the sides, as he muttered to himself "Huh, I was expecting something more challenging than this, but this is much easier than I expected" Jack smirked to himself, finding that he was having fun testing himself by scaling up this mighty and high wall. However, he failed to notice the two burly stallions above that were lifting up heavy logs and…tossing them down? "Son of a bitch" Jack swore as he tossed himself aside, feeling the breeze shoot by as a log almost hit him.

Dash smirked as she climbed upwards, leaping from one side to another. "Better hurry Jack, or you'll get left beehiiinnnd" Dash called in a sing song voice; finding this way too easy even without wings. She had to admit she didn't think Jack would last this long since he didn't seem like the endurance type. Guess he proved her wrong.

Jack heard her taunting as he shook his head. "I aint gonna lose" he shouted determined as he lunged himself upward, leaping from one gap to the next of the wall as he ducked his head down, and pressed himself against the wall whenever a log came down. As he reached the top, he vaulted himself over the wall and found himself going down a long slide! "WHooooooooooaaaaooooo" Jack shouted, as he underestimated how high up he had scaled!

Dash had to suppress a giggle out of fear of it affecting her coolness as she instead used a whooping of laughter, as she called over to Jack. "Best not get to comfortable" she grinned as she pointed back up at the top of the slides to two Unicorn stallions, who lifted up..large..red..dodge balls and kicked them down after the two!.

Realizing he was a sitting duck, Jack gasped as he turned back around and started to maneuver himself to try and get himself out of the way of the balls. Dodging the first one as he felt the wind fly by, he sighed with relief as he thought that if he kept up his speed and distance, he could beat Dash still! However what he didn't realize was that although the balls were meant to go around rapidly in all directions, one came straight towards him deliberate as if it was being controlled".

Dash spotted this, as she panicked "Jack look out"!

Hearing Dash call his name, Jack slowly turned around in time as his expression shifted to shock as..POW! "Aaaaggg" Jack gasped as at the force that the ball was rolling down, and being how it was two times his size; it smacked into him and sent him into a spiral as he slipped off the edge of the large slide; a good thirty feet above ground as Jack let out a moan of pain.

"W..what the…no.." Jack thought in horror as he realized what was happening. He was going to die!

"JACK" Dash shouted in worry, as she leaped into the air and zoomed down towards him; watching with horror as he was about to hit the ground. Glaring, she gritted her teeth as she zoomed under Jack and, caught him just in the nick of time. Whipping sweat from her brow, she turned and gave Jack a weary smile. "You alright" she asked lightly, wondering if Jack was hurt

Leaning up, Jack stared at her as realized that she had him dead to rights! He was gonna appear extremely ungrateful with her if he didn't trust her since..she did just save his life! You couldn't get any more trustworthy then that so he didn't have a choice. Plus, he did have fun with racing her and she didn't set up that last part or at least he thought she didn't since if she had; then she'd a gone ahead and kept racing. He'd probably survive a fall like that…probably. Sitting up, he said "Rainbow Dash…thank you…".

What neither of them realized however, watching them behind a building; frustration and annoyance in his eyes was Sid as he stared up at the two; watching them chat. "Darn it" he grumbled in heavy irritation with a hint of jealousy, watching the two bond. He hated seeing his only real friend with that pony! Hell, he didn't know why he was willing to show trust towards her. Did that mean he was going to try and regain everyone else's trust?

"Then he wouldn't be my friend anymore.." Sid thought horrified, as he turned away thinking he had to do something about this.

_**Sorry for the abrupt ending there, I hope that this chapter was pleasing. I figured it would be better to instead of regaining the trust of all of them in one chap, do it over time. Till next week, read and review ^_^**_


	9. Chapter 9

_**My little pony: The Urchin and the Princess**_

_**Disclaimer: Nice comments for the last chap, thanks everypony! As usual, if you have suggestions or ideas of something to be thrown into the story; please don't hesitate to share them ^_^**_

_**Chapter 9: Magical experiments**_

"Twenty six, twenty seven, twenty eight" Jack counted, as his hair covered his eyes partial to hide his determination. On the outskirts of ponyville, alongside Rainbow Dash; Jack was taking part in some training exercises with her. Ever since she had saved him the other day, he felt he owed it to her to hang out! So, he figured best way for them to hang out was some good old fashioned training!

"Twenty nine, thirty, thirty one" Jack continued to count as he performed one armed push up's alongside of Dash, whilst balancing on one arm. Staring at Dash, he noted her cocky grin. She was competitive, brash, daring, and stubborn. Defiantly someone that he could be friends with. Shaking his head, he turned back as he stared at the ground. This was all a test for himself really! He had been so easily knock off course during their race, that he thought it was disgusting. How was he ever gonna be a better person if he wasn't prepared for the unexpected? But that raised the question: How does one train for the unexpected?

"HYAH" Dash shouted as she suddenly flew herself up and tried to kick at Jack's arm, attempting to capsize on his lowered guard.

Allowing himself to fall backwards; Jack landed with grunt on his stomach as he rolled himself backwards into a fighting stance, as he gave Dash a cocky grin. Oh yeah! This was definitely gonna get the blood pumping! "If it's no trouble to you, I think I'll just kick your ass" Jack bantered at Dash.

"Pfft, try it human! Heh, you probably couldn't even take me as a filly; let alone now" Dash countered back.

"Let's find out" declared Jack as he charged and started off with a round house kick towards her face. Watching as she brought a hoof up to block it, Jack ducked as she attempted to hoof him in the cheek. He attempted to cartwheel kick her in the chin; but she pulled back as she flew at him and went for a side kick to his gut. Smirking, he leaped into the air as he leap frogged over her; whirling around as he commented playfully "Too slow".

"Slow? I'll show you slow" Dash declared, as she a dug a hoof into the ground; using her momentum to turn herself around as she whirled around to take another shot at him! As she flew straight at Jack, she noticed as he took a..strange stance as he cupped his hands together, and placed them at his sides as she noticed a…glow starting to emerge from them. Jack started to shout as if he was charging something up! Eyes widening as she saw the glow start to get brighter as Jack shot her a cocky grin as he shot his cupped hands forward, as if he were about shoot something!

HADOKEN!

"GYAH" Dash panicked as she winced, closing her eyes at the beam that he had shot at her, and she felt…felt…nothing? Opening her eyes, she saw she had stopped inches in front of Jack as she looked to see gripped between his fingers, was a strange looking device with a screen and multiple buttons. Eyes widening as she remembered Jack telling her about this sort of thing when he first came here, she narrowed her eyes as she realized she had been tricked!

"Gotcha" Jack smirked cheekily, as he turned the brightness of his cellphone down. Shouting some battle grunts for some theatrics, as well as increasing his cellphones brightness to maximum whilst keeping it hidden; had tricked her into believing he was gonna shoot a beam at her!

Dash slowly smirked back as she tackled Jack, laughing as the two went into a roll and ended up with her getting him in a headlock as she smirked "Say Uncle"! Heh, a prankster too Jack was! It was kinda refreshing since when she only had one pony to prank alongside; so someone new to prank with would be nice!

"Aggg, no way" Jack responded cockily to the rainbow manned Pegasus; receiving more messing up of his hair. "Agg, alright! Alright, you win" Jack responded lightly, as he was released. Sitting up, he poked her side as he commented "Cheater".

"Me? Ooo, it's not my fault if I'm stronger then you" Dash responded grinning.

Before a heated fight could erupt between the two, Jack was surprised as suddenly Spike approached the two; out of breathe as he came to a stop in front of the two as he said "I..I finally found you Jack. I…whew" Spike panted, as he wiped the sweat from his brow.

Jack chuckled as he commented "What's up Spike? You look like you just ran a marathon? Impressive for a little guy like you". Receiving an icy glare at the little comment, Jack raised his hands in peace as he smirked "Just kidding! Heh heh, seriously what's up Spike"?

Spike was about to answer as his face suddenly tightened, and his cheeks puffed out as he looked like he was about to throw up! "Humm..Blaaaarg" Spike burped, as a burst of green fire emerged and from it popped..a letter? Catching the letter, Spike smiled as he hummed "Ahem. Dear Jack, How have you been lately? I was wondering if you would be interested in participating in some magical experiments to test the effects magic has on human beings, and if humans themselves can have usage of magic? Please attend if you have the time, your friend Twilight Sparkle".

Rainbow Dash smiled lightly. It seemed Twilight was determined in going through with this experiment in an attempt to help become friends with him once more! It was a really admirable and cool thing of her to extend this offer. She only hopped that Jack would be willing to go out and actually attend! Heck, if not now; then when?

Jack placed a hand to his chin as he thought about Twilight. Bookish, Intelligent and Caring..but at the same time; abit nosy since she asked him a lot of questions about humans and what they liked to do, where they split, how they operated? Now she wanted him to be in some sort of test, and for what? Write down some information so she can put it in a book, and become famous? "Cynical as always, she may see this as a way to re earn your trust" he told himself. "How? By possible transforming me into a pony or some weird looking animal" Jack thought back.

Dash figured she'd try pushing Jack into doin this, as she yawned. "Well, I'm beat from fighting with ya! I'm gonna go take a nap. See ya" She grinned cheerfully as she took off into the skies.

"HEY" Jack protested, not done with her as he watched her speed off like a rainbow bullet. Glaring where she went, he sighed as he looked at Spike to see he was awaiting a response so he could send it to Twilight, and let her know that Jack was on his way. Groaning aloud, he grumbled "Tell her that I'm on my way and wish to be treated as an individual and not as some object to be experimented on".

Spike nodded as he quickly wrote a response back to Twilight, as he then blew fire at it; making it vanish instantly.

"Admittingly, that's kinda cool" Jack complimented the dragon.

"What sort of experiments is she referring too" Jack thought absently mindly, as he walked through the square of ponyville; in his own private world. She wanted to test the effects of magic on a human, and see what it entails? Well, let's see here. Perhaps it was some sort of elemental magic thing, like if the right magic was used on him it would unlock some capabilities that he didn't know he was capable of! "Heh, like what if lighting is my muse" he thought with an excited grin.

_Oh yeah! He could see it all now! Standing up on a high cliff whilst the dangerous winds of a storm blew all around him, lighting shooting rapidly as they danced in the clouds. Jack grinning up at the storms eagerly, as he raised his first into the air as he opened his palms up as if welcoming whatever came at him. Then BANG! Blue bolts shot down, and absorbed into his fingertips as the exhilarating feeling of power rushed through him like a drug, making him want to experience more and more power! Slowly, Jack started to laugh as the absorbed lightning shot back out of his fingers as he grinned happily!_

Jack chuckled lightly, as he had a wide grin on his face, amazed by how much he could experience in power. Freezing, he realized his hands were shot into the air as he looked down. All the ponies around him were looking at him like he was crazy! Blushing furiously, Jack chuckled as he rubbed his head smiling lightly as he continued to walk towards Twilights house. "Heh heh, that was..w..weird" he chuckled aloud, as he turned away thinking angrily "D..darn it, that was so stupid of me"!

Staring up at Twilights home, Jack sighed as he wondered how this was gonna work. Was she gonna treat this like it was all business, or was she gonna attempt to butter him up so they could be friends? Sighing heavily, he thought to himself "Hope it's neither".

Grunting, he reached up as he knocked on her door. As the door opened up, Jack stared hard as he leaned in and…umped back as he let out a shout of shock! "GAAAAA" Jack shouted, stepping backwards at the sight of Twilight.

Twilight blinked as she was wearing a large, paper matched mask over her face; as she had attempted to see if she could use her magic to make the mask her actual face, and then attempt to reverse the process. Whilst Twilight excelled when it came to studying and intellectual stuff; arts and crafts weren't exactly her forte as the mask with its huge misshaped eyes, and crunched up snout wasn't very pleasing to look at. That and her spell didn't work at all!

Removing the mask, she smiled at the sight of Jack; as she bowed her head towards him. "Greetings Jack, I am pleased to see you were able to make it. I was worried you wouldn't since I heard you were hanging out with Rainbow Dash at..are you alright"?

Getting up quickly, Jack dusted himself off as he coughed; trying to brush off the surprising scare as if it was nothing. "Ahem, yeah I'm cool" Jack lied; wanting to maintain his demeanor".

Twilight restrained from giggling at Jacks "Tough guy" persona, as she beckoned him to come into her home; eager and relieved that he was able to come! This would be a golden opportunity to find out if humans had magical abilities, and to regain Jack's friendship. "I just hope he trust me enough to let me perform my task" she thought shyly.

As Jack stepped inside, his foot collided with some stacks of papers as he looked around and saw that papers, and books scatted all over the floor; most of the books from her stands had been taken down as Jack blinked "Uhhh, doing some light reading"?

Twilight chuckled embarrassed as she apologized "Sorry about the mess, I was doing a lot of studying. Here, let me clean it up" she insisted.

Jack was about to make a rude retort on how one would be able to clean up this entire mess, since it would probably take several hours to do so, but he then remembered something that he had forgotten about Twilight Sparkle.

She was a unicorn, and she could use magic!

Eyes widened, as Jack gawked as he watched Twilights horn glow slowly, as violet energy encompassed around the books, lifting them gently into the air. Watching with awe, Jack had to keep himself from letting out a shout of disbelief as the unicorn started placing the books back onto the shelves' at lightning speed, apparently used to creating such messes and yet being able to fix it moments later! "No way" Jack grumbled lightly as he watched the last book be put away, and now it didn't even look like a mess had even existed in this library.

Twilight giggled at Jack's expression, as she commented "I take it your kinda impressed"?

"Yeah…kinda" Jack responded slowly, as he walked to the center of the room, still not able to believe at how clean it was! "You know, when I was a kid I acted like a rude, sarcastic.." Jack had started as he noticed Twilights bemused expression. "Okay fine, a **more** rude and sarcastic kid. Whenever I heard stuff about unicorns and magic; things like that I thought it was the dumbest crud I had ever heard".

Twilight raised a brow in disbelief, as she said "Whys that"?

"Guess its kinda how guys are built up in my world. Following around a certain quota and liking certain things. Drifting away and branching off into things that aren't accustomed to what guys usually do for one reason or another; gets that guy outcasted as some kinda freak amongst his own kind. It's the most ridiculous nonsense I've ever heard; but hey that's life really" Jack shrugged indifferently; as he noticed twilight giving him a weird look.

"I really don't understand you humans. You outcast and mock one another just for liking something that isn't what they normal are supposed to like? If that's the case, then how did you ever develop as a society? I mean, if you stuck to doing what everyone else did; then you might never have thought to do other things and branch off. Inspire others to do the same" Twilight offered to Jack.

"You…have fair point I guess" he admitted, though not wanting to admit it to her. Shaking his head, he said "If our world had talking ponies that developed alongside our society; we might actually be a better place..that or we would make it worse cause of humans desire to control everything that surrounds them. Heck, it's probably better we can't use magic cause we'd be corrupted by our own powers".

Shaking his head, he said "Alright enough of this crap. Tell me what it is you want to test"?

Twilight smiled as she said "Well, I want to put you through a series of magical trials, on what you can do if you wield magic, limits, possibilities, and etcetera".

Jack crossed his arms, as he said "Will I be harmed during these trials? I'd prefer to not jump into something that will take my head off, or transform me into some weird looking monster".

Twilight shook her head as she said "Nope, it's harmless. The most you might feel is a tiny tickle; but that's really it. I know that this must make you nervous, and if you don't feel comfortable…well we don't have to do I..".

"Just stop right their okay? I didn't come all the way over here to have my time wasted" Jack rudely remarked as he walked past Twilight, and stepped towards the center of the room as he looked down at a golden star that was embedded into the floor. "What's this? Some kinda marker for where you wanna run your little test" Jack asked lightly.

Twilight nodded as she said "Just be certain to stand there at all times, I wanna first start off by testing this new spell I just learned". Closing her eyes, she focused as her horn began to glow; as a violet beam shot out at high speed and struck Jack! When she opened her eyes, she was surprised to see Jack was gone! "I..it worked" Twilight grinned, unable to hold back her glee as she trotted up to the spot where Jack was, looking left and right for any sign of him. "Jack, can you hear me" she called out.

"Yeah, I'm right here in front of you" Jack's voice called out, sounding like he was weirded out by her asking such a bizarre question. A loud gasp erupted as suddenly his voice shifted to fear as he gasped "W.. the hell did you do? Why can't I…".

"Heh, it looks like my invisibility spell works well on humans" Twilight smiled as she used her magic to pick up a quill, as she started to write down notes in an empty book as Jack continued to awe in wonder on how he was invisible. As Twilight finished up her notes, she froze as she looked up to see her mane started to part by its self as she felt invisible hands mess with it, enticing a laugh form her. "Real funny Jack, now go stand back on the star so I can change you back" she giggled, shaking her head at the human's strangeness

Jack let out a chuckle as he commented "Alight, so I retract one of my statements from earlier. Let's see if you can bring me back in one piece". Standing completely still, he winced as the beam of light struck him once again. Sighing in relief as he assumed he was back, he shrugged "Whew that was close. Okay, so you got skill with spell casting; that much is a given but wha…What's with the weird look on your face" Jack asked.

Twilight gawked as she stared, and blushed in embarrassment as she pointed with a shaky hoof at a mirror to his left.

Jack blinked as he turned and expected to see his old self staring back. Instead, he saw a dark green Pegasus; with a wild black mane and tail with a shield like cutie mark, staring back at him. Eyes widening, Jack opened his mouth as he let out a scream of fear! "GYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH" he shouted in alarm as he backed up from the mirror in shock, bumping into Twilight. Whirling around, his eyes had gone bloodshot with anger as he snarled "CHANGE ME BACK! CHANGE ME BACK RIGHT NOW"!

Shivering at the anger that Jack was giving out, Twilight nod rapidly as she turned to her books, as she started speed reading through them as fast as she could to find something, anything that could help Jack! This was not going well! If she didn't fix this, then she would wreck her chance of regaining his trust! She had to admit, as a stallion Pegasus he looked..rather attractive. "Eyes on the job at hoof" she scolded herself softly as she let out a laugh.

"Okay, I think I got it! Hold still" she smirked, as she blasted Jack with another zap! Coughing rapidly as the smoke started to clear, Twilight stared and saw nothing! "Jack, where are you? Are..Oh" Twilight gawked at what she saw. Jack was still a pony, but..he was now a foal…a filly to be exact and he..pfft, was wearing a bright pink, poofy dress with a big pink bow tied into his mane. To top it all off, his wings had been decorated to look like butterfly wings.

"Oh Jack, you…pfft heh heh" Twilight snickered, trying her hardest not to laugh at the predicament of the human. Whirling around towards her book of spells, she blinked as she had combined by accident the two spells that said "Gender switch, and True self". She guessed that the "True self thing" he was in only applied when his gender had switched!

"What? What" Jack demanded, her voice much higher than it was before. Gasping at this, she noted the laughing pony as she looked around rapidly for the mirror from before. Spotting it, Jack glared as her cheeks turned bright red from embarrassment and humiliation. Whirling around, she threatened "Y..fix this…right now..before I..tear this place apart". It was an empty threat, and they both knew it.

"If you did that, then you'd be stuck in that form" Twilight pointed out between giggles, as she then smirked "That includes you'd be stuck in those clothes". Watching his facial expression switch to disgust, she nodded "I'm pretty certain that you wouldn't like that".

Jack lowered his head, as she said "Please..reverse..this".

Twilight nodded, as she flipped through her spells once more. Finding a stabile reversal spell, she turned and blast Jack one gain.

Jack panted heavily, still burning up with anger. Looking at the mirror, he let out a heavy sigh as he saw he had returned to his normal self. "That wasn't fun" he grunted. Hearing twilights giggling, he turned as he asked "And stop laughing chuckles". Pointing at her, he snapped "I think this means, no more transformation spells".

Receiving a nod from the unicorn, she stated "That's alright. I'm umm..abit surprised that you don't wanna stop. After what just happened, I thought you'd be upset enough to just leave and forget about the entire thing".

Shaking his head, Jack muttered "If I did that, then I wouldn't find out what humans are capable of when it comes to magic. If humanity just gave up when we realized how strong the British were, we never would have won our freedom". Receiving an odd look, Jack dismissed the matter with a wave as he said "Alright, moving on. Try something else like..well, something that unleashes hidden magic potential. If I'm capable of using magic, then I wanna know what kind".

Receiving a nod, Twilight put out a hoof as she informed "Alright, I've never used this on a human before so I don't know if it will even work. If nothing happens, then try not to get discouraged. There's plenty of other different type of spells that we can use to help test out". Staring into another book, she muttered to herself as she focused keenly on the pages. "Hmm, sorta dangerous but may work…alright Jack; I hope you're ready" she said, turning to face him. Concentrating more magic then she had before; her horn glowed so bright it was almost as if the sun itself was in the room. Being sent back into the wall as she unleashed her magic, she watched in awe at the sight.

Jack let out a grunt of pain, as the magic connected with him; washing him in an aura of violet light that seemed to for a moment spread outward from himself and towards the room around him. Wincing, Jack's eyes widened in pain as he thought to himself "Th..What is this feeling I'm getting right now? It feels like I'm about to be..ripped in two". Then, just as fast it spread back in as it vanished into Jack's body! As soon as it did, the surge that was ripping through Jack halted; as he collapsed to his knees as he clamped his hands against the floor as he panted heavily from the experience.

"Huff…huff…huff, what the hell just happened" Jack managed to get out as he shook his head to ward off any dizziness that might have affected him. Managing to get to his feet, he dusted himself off slowly as he looked at his hands for any change. He saw and felt nothing! Nothing at all!

"Twilight…" Jack remarked slowly as he looked up at the confused unicorn. "Nothing's changed at all" he stated.

Twilight blinked as she looked Jack over carefully. He didn't look any different physical. In fact, he looked pretty much the same as he did before! "I don't understand, we should be seeing some change in…hold on". She paused as an idea came to her head. What if his magic had to be triggered by something? Like he had to execute something, or say a magic phrase? "Hmm, try using your hand's in different motions to…I guess trigger your magic" Twilight explained.

Staring down at his hands with skeptics, Jack blinked as he focused his sights on a vase. Glaring at it, he pulled his hand back and shot it out palms open! Nothing happened. Staring, he then tried shooting his hands out finger tips extended like he was shooting lighting! Still nothing. "Nope, nothing at all" Jack grumbled irritated. This was seriously irritating him. Here he was, all hyped up to shoot fire or lighting outta his hands and he can't even do that! "Maybe your spells a dud" Jack grumbled in irration.

Twilight opened her mouth to protest as she was usually good at..wait a sec! What if it was triggered by emotion! How he felt was being able to unleash magic! It was only a theory, but it could be the reason why it wasn't working. But what could be the right emotion that triggers his powers! "Hmm…" Twilight mused, thinking hard. Getting an idea, she felt bad as she said softly "Hope you can forgive me for this Jack". Coughing, she then gave the best sneer she could muster as she laughed nastily "Ha ha, you umm..you probably can't do it cause you humans are…really weak".

Jack stared up, caught off guard by the insult as he turned around slowly to face Twilight with an annoyed look in his eye. "Come again" Jack asked, wondering if he had misheard her.

"Y..you heard me! The reason you can't do magic is because you humans are really..boring and…umm..smelly" she tried insulting.

Jack glared, falling for her charade as he clenched his fist in anger; gritting his teeth as he said "That so? And what makes you ponies so superior to us huh"? What Jack failed to notice was that his fist clenched fist started to glow red as spark seemed to erupt from them.

"Oh Celestia, its working" Twilight though excitedly as she realized she had to keep going. "Heh, well we can fly for one! Without the use of planes! We can umm..also use magic, that's something you humans can never do no matter how hard you try! Finally, umm…even those of us without magic; we're..ten times stronger than any human"! That last part was a complete lie but she realized Jack was too upset to notice.

Jack snarled loudly, not about to be insulted as suddenly the spark erupted, and crimson flames surrounded his fist as the intensity of the heat increased rapidly. "How about I show you how worthless we are by kicking your teeth in" Jack threatened angrily, his emotions running like a wild fire! As he was about to take a step towards her, he noticed the room was glowing with a hue or bright red.

"What the fu.." Jack began as he glanced down, as his eyes widened in shock to see his fist covered in red flames. "No..no way" Jack gawked in shock!

"It worked! Your magic is triggered by emotion! By your own anger" Twilight smiled happily, amazed at the discovery she had made. Writing down in her journal of her discovery, she smiled "I'm really sorry I insulted you Jack. If I told you about what I was doing, then it wouldn't seem real and thus you wouldn't have been able to unlock your magic. But we can just keep testing its..".

"Make it stop" Jack softly responded.

Twilight froze as she asked "W..what"?

Looking up, Jack stared not with an angry glare, but with a pleading expression. "Make these powers stop. Suppress them, take them away. I don't care. For me to be able to have such power, to have it be trigged by my anger makes it dangerous. I could lose sense of reason on when, or how to use it. I don't want to take the risk of me abusing this..so take it away from me".

Twilight was quite frankly surprised in more ways the one. She was surprised that Jack was asking to give up and have his powers be taken away, since she figured he'd want to keep them. After all, when one discovers that they have the ability to wield magic at will it's a rather exciting experience. But she was mostly surprised at Jack acknowledging that he could possibly misuse his magic for his own gain. That was definitely something worth being respected! To admit one's own mistakes and to remove any chance of making something worse was a very brave thing!

Nodding slowly, she smiled "Alright Jack, if you feel it's best". Looking back, she started to look for a spell that would remove one's magical abilities once awakened. Yet, she was having a rather difficult time locating one. Laughing weakly, she glanced back at Jack before quickly rushing through to see if she could locate a book that had something about dissipating spells. "Oh no, I need to have something" she thought worriedly as she didn't want to tell Jack that there was no spell like that! Finding something that seemed similar, she blinked as she spoke "Let's try this"!

Jack had expected his powers to vanish or something, but not this! There was a flash of light as suddenly Jack found himself floating in midair, watching with awe as books and other items such as chairs and tables rose into the air as well. Staring over at Twilight, he shouted "What the hell did you do! It's like the gravity's been turned off"!

Twilight stared mortified, as she reached out at floating books, shocked and a little embarrassed by her mistake. Panicking, she stated "Oh dear! Wrong spell, ahh umm…okay; disappearing spells umm..let's try this". Closing her eyes as she found something upon removing magic, she opened her eyes as the spell was casted and gawked in terror at the tiny white glowing orb in the middle of the room. A humming noise emerged from it, as a gravitational pull started to yank at the two and slowly but surely pull them towards the orb. Watching as a book connected with it, she gasped as panicked "Oh no! It was set remove all things with magical properties, or at least things that can help unlock them! Meaning the books, and us"!

"SAY WHAT? You made a black hole that absorbs magic" Jack shouted in fear, as he grabbed onto a railing on the second floor of the library as he gripped for dear life.

Twilight started to reach out for books, as she gripped the edges of one, but gasped as it slipped away. "I know there's a spell that can make this entire stop! I just need to..oof, find it" Twilight excused as she called out "I'm really sorry Jack, none of this was supposed to happen".

Jack reached up as a gripped a book that almost got away, as he stared into its pages rapidly. "Ahh, umm..hmm…CRAP" he shouted, tossing the book aside as he watched as Twilight was slowly approaching the white orb. Gasping, he growled as he looked around rapidly as he stared up and thought to himself "Oh forget this". Placing his feet against the railing, he shot himself forward as he reached out and grabbed Twilight around her waist as he reached the other railing; gripping it as he held on with one hand and to twilight with his other.

"Whatever you're gonna do, you best do it fast" Jack tried to get out, but barely could as his teeth were clenching a book as he stared at the worried Twilight. Spitting the book out, he watched as Twilight caught it.

Letting out a grin, she smiled "I've got it! Hold on"! Closing her eyes, her horn began to glow once again as it filled up the entire room. When the light faded, gravity returned as the two fell!

Jack let out an oof, as he landed first and then a GACK, as Twilight landed on him. "Ouch" he muttered slowly as he tried to lift himself up but failed as he shot Twilight a wry look.

Twilight smiled sheepishly as she climbed off Jack, and said "That was incredible! I can't believe how much we've accomplish today! You were great for this testing, and umm..well sorry for it getting out of hoof in the end". She blushed as she then looked down at the floor with sadness. "I guess my attempts to regain your trust failed huh" she softly spoke.

"I wouldn't say that" Jack admitted to Twilight. When she looked up with a hopeful look, he explained "I got what I wanted, to see if I could use magic and even if it was embarrassing; the transformation spells were kinda funny I guess". Allowing himself a slow smile, he said "Plus, you did save both of us when you dissipated the spell that was gonna basically end are existence. At times although bumbling maybe, I think you've proven you know what you're doing".

Realizing that this was a great compliment coming from Jack, and realizing that she succeeded; she gently through her hooves around his neck and pulled him into a hug. "Thanks Jack! That means a lot to me" she smiled warmly.

"Err..sure" Jack commented, averting his eyes away at the hug.

Later as Jack left that night, he blinked as he noticed a familiar weirdly dressed human leaning against a bench. Smiling, he approached as he commented "Still wearing that tacky outfit Sid? You'd think a guy like you would have some actual taste in fashion".

"Pfft, everything being all orderly is way too boring for my taste" Sid smirked, as he leaned up and approached Jack. "I've noticed…you've been hanging a lot with some of the ponies" he slowly noted, as he gave a fake smile to hide his annoyance. "You're really willing to give them a chance to regain your friendship"?

"I guess I am…truth be told, I expected them to blow it but so far, two of them are my friends again" Jack shrugged ideally.

Sid nodded as he stared hard, smiling as he said "I see, I see. Well, as you can observe it's a rather boring night out again, and all the little ponies are sleeping away when theirs a night of fun waiting to happen. What's say you to a few more innocent pranks" he asked, as with a hidden sneer placed his hand on Jack's shoulder to..will him into going along with it.

Jack blinked as he felt a euphoric feeling flow through him. Apart of him felt overeager, wanting to go all out with a bang for some mischief so spice up ponyville abit. Yet strangely enough, another part of him was more resistant; wanting to taking it easy on the town and its folks since it was a pretty simple place; no need to go all out. Shaking his head, he grumbled "Err, yeah sure. I can hang for awhile before going home". Stalking past Sid, he shrugged "Need something to help keep me entertained".

"Excellent" Sid smirked, as he quickly masked his worried expression. "What the hell? He..wasnt as willing to go along with it? Why?..C..Could it be that the ponies are having some sort of effect on him and…no; ridiculous. I simply didn't put a lot of power into my convincing. That's all" Sid nodded, waving his hand to dismiss the matter as he followed behind the human; his eyes shifting to yellow as his pupils shined red for a brief moment as his features twisted into a cruel grin.

"Let's have some..fun with this town" he sneered.

Sid smirked, as he purpouly bumped past Jack; eager to get on with causing some mischief.

"Watch it" Jack growled in annoyance, watching as Sid purpously stuck his tounge out in an antagonizing way as he heard him remark he was "Just kidding". "Hmph" Jack grumbed in irrataion. He failed to notice that in his brief spur of anger, that a tiny ball of fire danced on his finger tips before it vanished as fast as it had appeared.

Sid caught this, as he turned away smirking softly "Perfect…".

_**Wow, subtle Sid. Welp, once again down with another chap. I was gonna do another side with the ponies regaining trust, but I guess that'll wait for the next chap. Till next time!**_


	10. Chapter 10

_**My little pony: The Urchin and the Princess**_

_**Disclaimer: Last chap had a few criticisms, mostly praise. I look forward to seeing more comments on my progress **_

_**Chapter 10: Lone Jack and Shy**_

Rarity hummed softly to herself the song that Jack had sung on the night of the party, finding it to be somewhat enjoyable. It was a beautiful day in Ponyville, and she was determined to enjoy it to the max! Thinking about Jack, she wondered how he was doing at the moment. The last time she saw him was after he explained how they needed to regain his trust. Rarity was in the process of thinking of a something for the two of them to do so she could regain his trust. It wasn't easy, far from it but she was determined to make things right so that way he could be her prince!

Blushing at the thought, she stopped in front of Sugarcube Corner as her day dreamed of Jack. _Him in a formal vest, as he made his way towards her whilst she in a formal dress. A cocky grin on his face, as he held a rose in his teeth like a true Casanova. Rarity blushed as she had to resist squealing like a little school filly. As he reached her, he offered her the rose as she gracefully accepted it. As he leaned towards her, his eyes closed as he puckered up. Giggling, she leaned forward in a similar fashion and was about to kiss him when…_

POOOOOOOOOOFFF!

Rarity snapped out of her day dream, as she looked at the entrance to Sugarcube corner as a giant fog of what looks like flour had fogged up the windows. Moments later, the door opened as out stepped flour covered Jack, grumbling as he dusted off the flour from himself as he shook his head in aggravation as the sounds of Pinkie Pies laughter erupted from within as she called out "Sorry Jack! Next time we'll get it right, I promise things will be better".

"Uh huh" Jake grunted as he told himself that he was gonna have to give Pinkie another try since she was really acting silly. Well…more silly than usual, and it was hard for her to take something like this so seriously. No, that wasn't her real reason. Real reason was that he was being abit harsh. Dash and Twilight had already regained his trust, but some ponies might not be so lucky so..he had to give them time he suppose. Glancing up, he spotted Rarity as he shrugged "Hey Rarity".

"Oh, greetings Jack. Err, mishap with Pinkie Pie I take it" Rarity asked, a slight grin on her face from the flour stuck in his hair.

"Uh huh, she attempted to bake a cake with "Extra extra extra" frosting. Too make a long story short, she added too much and it exploded in her face, causing me to go flying backwards into the supply of flour" Jack sighed, as he dusted himself off. Looking at Rarity, he offered a light smile "I'm on my way to see Fluttershy right now". Frowning, he sighed "I am not lookin forward to it".

Rarity gasped, as she said "Not looking forward to seeing Fluttershy? Why is this Jack? Isn't that abit har..". She was silenced as Jack raised a finger.

"It's nothing personal, she seems like a nice Pegasus and all…but what she does for a living is abit too cuesty for my taste. She likes hugging me apparently and at times acts like I'm an exotic animal…granted, maybe I am but still I'm not a "lover of sentiment and all that mushy" crap".

Rarity had to suppress a stifle. It wasn't like Jack didn't like Fluttershy for who she was. He just didn't like how what she did affected his masculinity. "Ah, I'm sure she has something perfectly normal for you to do today".

Shaking his head, Jack sighed "I really hope that's the case and there are no surprises today". Looking up at the town clock, Jack gasped "Crap, I'm late! Gotta go"! Waving a goodbye, he turned and ran for Fluttershys home; praying whatever she had in mind wouldn't involve any cuesty crud. Sadly, his luck wasn't that good today…

"Okay, take it easy Jack. I'm sure she just needs your help in..overcoming something. Like…fear. Yeah, that's it" muttered a less then excited Jack. Coming up with the revelation he smirked as he said "Fluttershy is currently afraid of something, and wants me to teach her how to overcome that fear! So that way she can learn to rely on herself and not on others in order to handle things" concluded a confident Jack, as he nodded his head up and down.

He was outside of Fluttershy's cottage, nervous at the idea of whatever problems she was having at the moment. If it was something easy, then he'd be a thankful person. Knocking on the door with a contempt sigh, he paused as he watched as the door opened; revealing Fluttershy as she giggled "Hello Jack, I'm glad you were able to make it".

"Yeah, ditto" Jack spoke back with a less then ecstatic voice. Resisting the urge to roll his eyes in annoyance, he sighed as he said "Whatever you have planned to make us friends again, let's get it over with okay"? His sarcasm didn't damper her spirits as he noticed her beaming with happiness as she reached out with a hoof and took his hand.

"I have something amazing to show you that I'm sure you're going to love" she smiled happily, as she lead Jack into her home, past all of her other animals and towards her backyard. "I should tell you though, don't be afraid. Emily won't hurt you".

Jack snorted, as he remarked "What are you talking about? Whose Emiieeeee". He ended up going off as he stared up with shock and horror at what he saw sitting in the middle of FLuttershys backyard.

It had a large belly, girth..whatever! It was probably a good three inches taller than Jack, maybe four! A golden belly, with blue scales. It had two golden horns on her forehead, and red eyes! She was wearing a large diaper, had a long tail with similar golden spikes. Her eyes stared down with wide curiosity at Jack, as he looked up at her with an equally widened stare.

"W..What is that" Jack stuttered as Fluttershy walked up to it, without any fear in her eyes. Jack was about to protest for her to step away before it hurt her, but was surprised when it reached down and with a coo; hugged Fluttershy against her belly as she hugged back. "Huh" Jack gawked.

"This is Emily, she's a dragon" Fluttershy giggled through the hug as she was put down. Turning around to face Jack, she smiled "Your job involves her".

Getting a horrifying image in his head, Jack backed up. "No way, uh uh. I am not repeat…NOT going to babysit a dragon! That draws the line with me". He was not a "goody two shoes, lover of all that cuddly mushy" stuff!

"Oh, your job isn't babysitting her" Fluttershy informed, abit saddened at his reaction. Sighing, she smiled as she took the time to explain. "Before you showed up, Emily has been in my caretaking. Her egg fell down from the mountains above during a horrible storm we had, and I've been taking care of her ever since. Rainbow Dash has been searching around for which dragons nest she came from so I can return her. Before you arrived, Rainbow Dash told me where the nest is located so I'm going to go return Emily here, and I want you to help me return her".

Emily stared down at the funny looking creature, as she extended a clawed hand out towards Jack.

"Huh, what's she want" Jack asked curiously, hating how his knowledge on these sort of things were limited. But really, what could he expect when he wasn't really into this kinda stuff.

"She wants to shake your hand" Fluttershy explained with a wink, knowing what Emily really wanted to do. As she watched Jack approach Emily, she had to resist the urge to sqee as she knew what Emily was gonna do!

Rolling his eyes, Jack had to resist the urge to throw up. To say he was intimated by this dragon's size would be an understatement. Jack sighed as he raised a hand to shake her claw, but was surprised as Emily suddenly pulled on his hand and towards her diapered belly, as she hugged the human, murring. "He..hey! Knock that off" Jack gasped aloud, cheeks going red from humiliation as he asked "What's her deal".

"She likes hugging things she's never met" Fluttershy informed, beaming at the cute sight as she noticed Jacks curious look. "What is it" she asked.

"How come Emily's so big? I mean, she's a baby dragon right? Isn't Spike a baby dragooooon" Jack gasped as he was pressed against Emilys belly, closing his eyes in slight annoyance as he really hated this cute moment.

"Well, Emily is a different type of dragon from Spike. Not all are the same. Also, she's much younger then Spike is as you can tell from her inability to speak yet" Fluttershy informed. Seeing Jacks face, she smiled "Alright, I think he's had enough Emily".

Emily let go of Jack with a pouting expression, as she watched as the "Hoo-man" dusted himself off, trying to regain his composure.

"Ahem, and you want me to help you get her back to her parents" Jack asked, as he crossed his arms. Looking up at Emily, he asked "Any risk"? If he was gonna be an escort for the dragon here, he'd prefer abit of risk since it would be a perfect way for him to blow off abit of anger from last night when..well..he didn't know. He just wanted to hit something for no reason, mostly cause he was craving for some danger right about now.

"Oh yes, there will be danger. High cliffs, unstable boulders and the possibility of a…gulp..a monster" Fluttershy squeaked with fear evident in her voice. The last time they all saw a monster, they almost got killed. Fluttershy had been shaking all day after their little escapade and had remembered the horrible way it looked at her, before giving chase!

"A monster huh" Jack repeated with a mixture of excitement and worry. Looking up, he said "Somehow, I really shouldn't be surprised after all Ive seen and yet I cant help but be surprised. By this point, he was mumbling to himself. Feeling hot air being blown against his neck, he glanced back up to see Emily sniffing his hair as he said "Can you please just keep her away from me? I don't want her invading my personal sp..OOF".

He was cut off as Emily pulled him into another hug as he complained "Oh c'mon"!

Fluttershy simply giggled at the sight, as she remarked "Heh heh, I don't think I can make any promises of that Jack".

It was now later in the afternoon that day, as Fluttershy and Jack were leading Emily up a trail that would lead into the mountains. Fluttershy was overjoyed that Jack was coming along. Not only because this an opportune moment for her to regain her friendship with Jack, but it was also a good chance to try and get him to be abit more open minded about cute things. Despite what he said, she could swear she was somewhere in his eyes..a tiny glint that showed he was enjoying being hugged. Problem was that he was certain it would make him appear weak or something like that.

Turning around, she glanced back at Jack who was trudging behind with an irritated expression as Emily kept sniffing him curiously. Repressing an urge to giggle, Fluttershy turned towards the path as she froze. Coming to a fork in the road, she looked at the two paths before her. One of them lead around the mountain side, upwards towards a higher altitude. The other led towards a cave that would travel deep underneath the mountain. Shivering, Fluttershy shook her head rapidly at the thought of going into a deep, dark cavern and that was not where Emily's mommy and daddy were.

"Umm..we'll be going up their" Fluttershy announced to Jack, who got next to her.

"Can you stay with her whilst I take the lead? I'd much prefer being in a spot where I'm not constantly sniffed at" Jack muttered to Fluttershy, his dislike for this situation evident. Looking back at Emily, he noted the baby dragon giggling as she stared at Jack; who in returned rolled his eyes.

"Alright Jack, if it will make you more comfortable" Fluttershy smiled, as she went back with Emily; smiling at the affection Emily gave her.

Turning back to face the path as they continued to walk, Jack called back "Have you done something like this before? Delivering baby animals back to their parents"?

"Only if we're able to locate their parents, and yes I've done it a few times before. Though, usually its with someone really brave like Rainbow Dash or..or Applejack" Fluttershy explained. Blinking, she then asked "Have you ever done anything like this"?

"Back in Manhattan, I'd make delivers around town just to make some money, but nothing really involving delivering dragons. Usually I delivered boxes filled with food supplies" shrugged Jack as he turned back around to face the path, and froze as he found himself staring straight down into what looked like a bottomless gorge. Looking back up, he could see the path was on the other side of the gap, which was about…6-8 feet apart.

"Huh, we can easily jump this" Jack explained to Fluttershy, who caught up and stared down into the gorge with a meep. Looking back up at Jack, she stuttered "Umm..we can…but Emily can't". Flying next to the dragon, she gave her a hug as she mused "We need to find a way to help get her across".

"Well I have no id…" Jack froze as he glanced over on the other side at what looked like two large boulders, and some partial destroyed tree trunks. Putting a hand to his chin as he thought, he muttered "Wait, I think I got an idea…I'll be back". Without waiting for a response, Jack backed up as he took a mighty leap and through himself over the gap, going into a roll as he stopped in front of the boulders. "I'll just move these over and…wait..". Rethinking his plane, he sighed as he muttered "Alright..let me see if I can…urrg…move these".

Getting behind the massive boulder, Jack backed up as he pushed himself against it, grunting and groaning as he applied his strength into the push. Normally he wouldn't be able to push, or even have the power to move such a large boulder by himself, yet due to the training he had been doing with Rainbow Dash and his exposure to magic tapped into some inner strength he wasn't aware he had as he let out a loud grunt as he shoved the boulder into place at the edge of the cliff. Letting out an oof, he said "Almost done..just need to move something else". Going over towards the partial destroyed tree trunk; he noted how it was on the edge of tippin over.

Backing up, Jack charged the trunk as he kicked at the weakest point to if; causing the trunk to tip over close to the edge of the cliff. "Heh, this seems kinda..easy" Jack admitted to himself as the trunk was rather large and…heavy as although it was taking all he had just to move the trunk, he somehow managed to get it to the other side to act as a bridge as he tipped the boulder on top of the trunk in order to keep it in place. "Okay, try having her cross over" Jack called to Fluttershy.

Fluttershy nodded, although she couldn't help but be worried as although the trunk looked strong, she was nervous that it wouldn't be able to support the weight of the large, baby dragon. Trotting over to Emily, she smiled "Alright Emily, Fluttershy needs you to crossover to the other side of the bridge". She watched as Emily peeked over at the makeshift bridge, and looked hesitant as her body shook with slight fear. "Oh I know your afraid, but it's the only way across" Fluttershy attempted to urge the dragon.

Seeing how scared she was, Fluttershy smiled as she got an idea. Looking over at Jack, she called "Maybe she'll be more willing if she's rewarded for crossing. It would be a good way to teach her about rewards..."

Jack wondered what sort of reward Fluttershy was talking about, when she noted her winking at him as Jack muttered "Oh..that…". Lowering his head in heavy annoyance, he sighed as he knew what Emily would like. Sighing, he forced a smile as he called "Emily, I'll umm..give you a hug if you come over here".

That seemed to encourage her, as her face lit up in a light grin as she curiously poked her foot at the bridge to see if it was safe. Seeing how solid it was; she smiled as she stepped onto it, and took two steps when it started to break.

"EMILY, RUN" Jack shouted!

Fear running through her from the tone in Jacks voice, she threw herself across to the other side as the tree trunk collapsed underneath her and fell into the gorge below. Getting up, she stared down into the gorge curiously as she turned around and smiled at Jack.

"Oh n..OOF" Jack grunted as he was pulled into a playful hug by the dragon. "Yeah love you too, now can you set me down" Jack muttered as he looked across at Fluttershy through the hugging, seeing her fearful look. "What's with you Fluttershy? Fly over here" Jack called.

"I'm scared, it's a big drop" Fluttershy whimpered lightly, shaking her head rapidly.

As Jack was set down, he remarked "That's why you have wings". It was really strange to see how scared she was when she clearly had wings. What, did she not like to use them? Sighing, he called "Fluttershy, I'll catch you if you jump okay? You don't have to be afraid! I'm right here with you". Calling out encouraging words to help keep her focused, he watched as she opened an eye as he nodded "That's it, just jump over and I'll catch ya".

"Umm..w..well okay..gulp" Fluttershy gulped as she backed up eyes closed. Pawing the ground, she galloped and with a mighty leap, hurled herself over the gap whimpering as he wing's started to react by themselves as she soared over Jack, and landed on the other side.

"See, you made it. You just needed a little motivation is all" Jack smiled lightly at the Pegasus.

Fluttershy opened her eyes slowly, still feeling abit squeamish on having to make such a tremendous jump. Blinking, she looked over at Jack as she looked down shyly "Umm, how do you do it Jack? Act so..well…be so brave. You just seem so…so fearless" Fluttershy asked curiously, wanting to know how Jack was able to lookin the face of danger and laugh so casually.

"I'm far from being fearless Fluttershy" Jack commented softly, as he glanced away from her as he thought about what he was afraid of. Well, he was afraid of failure, that was a given. He was afraid of looking weak, that was also a given. What he was afraid of mostly though in this world, was being alone. When Jack had lived with his step dad, he had felt alone already because his only friends had left. Then when he came here, and when all the ponies were trying hard to become his friend, he didn't feel lonely anymore..at least till the party night. But now with them slowly regaining his trust, his fear of being alone was going further and further back into his mind…but he wasn't going to admit that to Fluttershy.

"What I usually do, is just look at what I'm afraid of and think of the rewards I'll receive for overcoming them" Jack said as an example. Pointing at the cliff, he said "I could say for example "Once I get to the other side, I'll know I'm able to do any other ones no problem". Shrugging, he explained "Just thinking about the benefits of overcoming my fears is what helps me really".

Fluttershy stared at the cliff, and then back to Jack as she smiled "You make it look so easy. It's hard for me to think like you do, but..I suppose I could try what you say really next time I come across something Im afraid of". Turning around to face the path, she pointed towards it as she stated "Well umm, I..I'll take the lead this time".

"Wait…sniff..sniff..do you smell that" Jack asked, his face scrunching up into something of a mixture between disgust and shock. Blinking, he said "Where is it coming from"? A foul aroma had made its way into the air, as he sniffed it was coming from behind him. Freezing in horror, he whirled around to see Emily smiling innocently as the scent was coming from her diaper.

"Oh…god…" Jack moaned with horror, as Fluttershy started to reach into a satchel she had brought for supplies.

"Emily, please stop" Jack pleaded, really getting irritated with her constant sniffing of his hair and wanting to hug him. They had been going for quiet sometime now, but they were in luck however as they were more than halfway there! The nest they were looking for was probably a few miles up ahead, since the path had ended up becoming a wide plane of grass and boulders. Emily wasn't making it easier for Jack, since she had been bugging him this whole time and after he and Fluttershy had changed her diaper, he really wasn't in the mood.

Stepping out ahead of Fluttershy, he looked around with a keen eye as he muttered "Huh, I don't really see anything that looks threating. I think were in the clear if we keep heading further up" Jack muttered. As Fluttershy and Emily passed him as he stopped to take a small breather, Jack inhaled and exhaled as he breathed in the mountainous air. "Well, least the airs better now" he mused as he bent over to pick up a rock. Heaving it behind him, he listened as he could hear the rock bumping and echoing as it slid backwards down the path.

"Well, least we know how high up we are" Jack shrugged to Fluttershy, who had turned and around…was looking at Jack with terror in her eyes. Watching as Fluttershy whimpered at him, Jack snorted as he asked "What? What is it"?

"Hy..Hy…Hy Hy…" Fluttershy stuttered, her eyes continuing to widen in animalistic terror as she slowly started to back up, one hoof at a time in order to give herself distance between the monsters that was starting to loom up behind Jack. The advice Jack had given her slipped into her head for a moment, but was being repressed and pushed back by her fear.

"Hy what" Jack asked impatiently, becoming irritated by Fluttershy's stuttering. As he took a step towards her to see if he could shake some sense into her so he could calm her down, the hairs on the back of his neck rose up and tingled as he froze on the spot. Feeling something slowly start to rise up behind him, Jack turned carefully to face this threat, as he found himself looking an orangish yellow wall of scales. Slowly looking up, his jaw dropped in absolute disbelief as any sign of rationalization left the building.

It had multiple necks that rose up high into the sky, beating the size of any mythical creature that Jack could picture in his mind. It seemed to resemble a serpent, yet with reptilian traits. Its heads had red scales shaped into the style of what looked like hair, with thick bushy, black eyebrows. Its green eyes glared down with a villainous gaze that seemed to pierce into Jacks very soul itself. Its multiple tongue's slithered out, as they licked their lips in eager anticipation from the hunger that was about to be satisfied.

Jack had seen pictures of creatures like this back when he was in history class, when he learned and about Greek mythology. A creature that the fable hero Hercules had defeated. No matter how many times its heads were cut off, five more would sprout up in its place; leaving any trace of hope that would enable the hero to defeat such a monster, dimmed. "Not…not…" Jack repeated slow, knowing he shouldn't be surprised and yet..yet he couldn't help it!

"HYDRA" Fluttershy screamed in fear, not able to hold back anymore! Turning towards Emily, she panicked "Come Emily, we need to escape"! Pushing the dragon from behind with her head, she urged the dragon to get up and start to run.

The Hydra stared down at Jack, a mixture of curiosity and eagerness in its eyes as it had no idea what sort of creature Jack was, since in its travels had it never laid eyes on such a thing before. But at the same time, it didn't care. All it wanted was to see how this new creature tasted in its jaws. Licking its lips, the hydra let out a mighty roar as it launched one of its head's down at Jack.

Seeing it coming, Jack gasped as he jumped backwards; tripping over his feet as the collision of the Hydra smashing its head into the ground; sent a shockwave. Scrambling to his feet, he went into animal instinct mode as almost all things save for one ceased to matter; survival! Running up the long hill towards where Fluttershy and Emily were, Jack shouted "RUN FOR IT"! Even he knew it was best not to fuck with that thing! "I draw the line at things that are thirty stories high" Jack shouted angrily, as he jumped in time to avoid another Hydra head trying to nip at him!

Fluttershy managed to get Emily too hid behind a rock, as she hide their for a moment to catch her breathe. Looking back to see if Jack had made it with them, she eeped as she saw Jack rush by with the Hydra in pursuit! She had to help him! Taking a step out, she let out another eep as the Hydra roared once more, causing her to slink back towards the rock hiding spot in fear!

"GET AWAY FROM ME" Jack shouted back up to the hideous creature! Turning his neck back to see how far away it was, he shouted in fear to see it was right behind him! Seeing a small cliff that slid down towards an open pit, Jack smirked as he got an idea. "Alright, you want me? Come and get me" He shouted darling at the Hydra, as he raised his middle finger in its direction! Lunging towards the small cliff, Jack dug the heels of his sneakers into the side of the cliff as he gripped onto it to make sure he wouldn't go in as he waited for the Hydra.

"Down you go" Jack mockingly called out to the Hydra as he stepped over Jack, its expression shifting to horror as it slide down the small cliffside and into the pit below! Sticking his tongue out at the flailing creature, Jack snorted, as he hefted himself back up onto the land as he smirked "And that's that". Seeing Fluttershy approach him, he smirked "It's no big deal, though I don't know if I can top this really. Taking down a Hydra was pretty…".

"BEHIND YOU" Fluttershy shouted in alarm, pointing past Jack.

Whirling around in time, Jack managed to let out a cry of pain as the Hydra had managed to lock its clawed feet to turn itself around in mid fall on the cliff, as it lunged a head out and smacked against Jack harder! Sending him sailing, Jack fell into a roll as he ended up on his back groaning in pain. "What the hell happened" Jack thought to himself ideally as he looked up slowly and could see the Hydra climbing out of the pit.

Scrambling back up to his feet, Jack grunted as he could feel his side hurting as he lifted up his shirt and winced at the sight of the blackish-blue bruise. "Ooo, not good" he muttered as he put a hand to his head in pain. Feeling his foot bump into something, he looked down as he spotted a heavy stick, with a sharp, pointy rock next to it. Getting an idea, he picked up the stick as he jammed the point rock through the branch and out the other end as he turned around to face the Hydra. Gesturing for it to come at him, he winced as he staggered, thinking "No..st..still recovering from the attack". Wincing, he watched as the Hydra let out a cry of pain as its head it was using, missed Jack by a few inches as Jack looked over to see what had happened.

There was Emily, biting hard on the Hydra's tail! Her teeth sinking into its tail, as she wasn't about to let a mean, old Hydra hurt Jack! Feeling it start to shake to get her off, Emily let go as she let out a cry of shock as although she landed somewhat unharmed, let out a wince of pain as she scraped her knee.

"EMILY" Jack shouted, anger rising through him at the sight of this bastard hurting a baby dragon as his hands for a brief moment, were enveloped by flames before vanishing. Using the moment of distraction to his advantage, Jack raised up the stick high as he brought it down against the heads nose; drawing blood. This only seemed to make it madder, as the Hydra smashed its head against Jack, making him collide into the dirt in pain. "Owwwwww" Jack hissed in pain.

Fluttershy blinked as she was torn between fleeing, and going to Jack's aid. However, as she saw the creature stomp threateningly towards Jack, her eyes narrowed as she could see the pain Jack was in from the cheap shot it gave him! "How dare you! You think just because you're bigger, stronger, and meaner that you can go around bullying others"? As the hydra stared down at her, she seemed to use her unknown powers of guilting through staring to shame the monster. Watching as it hesitated with a sheepish expression, she flew up right in front of it as she said "That's right! I'..I'm talking to you! I don't know what you eat, or why your so grumpy but I don't care! You, do not eat my friend"!

Jack couldn't believe what he was seeing as he watched as the Hydra took a step back, intimidated by Fluttershy's stare..or was he intimidated by her bravery? He watched as the monster looked away, looking almost ashamed as muttered "Wow". That was amazing of Fluttershy, standing up to a monster that was so much bigger and meaner than her. As she flew down to greet him, he couldn't help but smile as he complimented "Fluttershy, that was awesome"!

She let out a light giggle, as she blushed shyly "Awww, it..it wasn't a really big deal". As she was about to say something else, she failed to notice when the Hydra looked away; his shame seem to vanish as the same malice from before returned into his eyes as he lunged at Fluttershy's back, catching her off guard as she was sent into a roll and stopped a few feet behind Jack.

"FLUTTERSHY" shouted a horrified Jack, as he stared at her unconscious form. The pain he was feeling suddenly seemed insignificant as he forced himself to his feet. His knuckled clenched into fist, as he whirled around and glared up hatefully at the Hydra. "Damn you…" Jack growled low, as his body started to glow with a crimson red aura, as his fist exploded into flames. Either he was too wrapped up in his own anger to notice, or he didn't care at the moment as he glared up at the Hydra who was surprised by this strange turn of events as it took a step back!

"…You'll learn what happens when you mess with one of my friends" Jack growled, as he heaved his fist back as if he was going to throw something. "TAKE…THIS" Jack shouted, as he threw his arm at the Hydra as a spew of flames shot forward from his palm and scorched the Hydra's skin, earning a shriek of pain from it! Jack wasn't done though, as he gripped what looked like a fire baseball, and heaved it straight at the Hydra's trio of head's; earning another shriek as it turned and started to run!

"YOU BETTER RUN" Jack shouted after it, as he was about to shoot two fire beams from his palms when…he suddenly noticed…he was on fire! Literally! Staring at his palms in shock, he muttered "I'm not getting hurt by the flames, and..I'm generating this heat so easily. But..but how. I thought Twilight got rid of it". Blinking, he remembered Fluttershy as he rushed to her side.

"Fluttershy, are you alri.." he started to ask when he saw her get up slowly, staggering as she shook her head. He watched as Emily rushed over next to FLuttershy with a look of concern on her face as she looked over the Pegasus.

"OOo, Im alright. Abit tired maybe..where did the Hydra go" Fluttershy asked, as she immediately started to look around for where it had gone. She couldn't see it anywhere in sight, as she then thought about her stare on how it must have shamed it into leaving. "Oh, I guess it left. Well, I hope he doesn't bully anypony anymore" she smiled lightly to Jack.

Jack was about to ask why she wasn't freaking when he noticed that his fire powers were gone, vanished as fast as they had appeared. He was about to tell her about this, to warn her about his powers when he remembered something. How she had stood up for him, in the face of great danger itself! How she had proclaimed that he was her friend. Come to think of it, he had done the same! He had been so angry that the Hydra would dare try and hurt her when she attempted to stand up for him. "Well, I guess its obvious how the friendship standing for us is huh" Jack asked lightly to Fluttershy, with a slow smile. When he saw her hesitate, he sighed "I'll allow it this once".

Fluttershy let out a happy giggle, as she pulled Jack into a hug; grinning that she had regained his friendship. Looking up towards Emily, she nodded for her to hug Jack as well; knowing he wouldn't mind since he was allowing it this once.

Now being hugged by both of them, Jack tried his best to maintain his usual demeanor yet couldn't hide a brief smile as he shrugged thinking one word.

Softies…

_**School's about to start tomorrow for me, so I'm glad I was able to get this out. Thank you for the criticism of the last chapter, and thank you all for reviewing and sticking by so far. Till next week hopefully **_


	11. Chapter 11

_**My little pony: The Urchin and the Princess**_

_**Disclaimer: Special thanks to Antrxx, Golden COG Dignity, furycutter and every other consistent reviewer! You bronies rock!**_

_**Chapter 11: Heart's desire pie**_

Jack let out a mighty yawn, as he sleepily rubbed sand from his eyes, smacking his lips tiredly as he trudged across the countryside towards Sweet Apple Acres. He hadn't gotten a lot of sleep the other night, cause of the adrenaline filled moment the other day. All the excitement, and wild moments just seemed to keep him up. After Jack and Fluttershy had managed to return Emily to her mom, Jack had gone straight to Twilight to tell her about what happened and how he had started shooting fire from his palms. Twilight had put a lot of theories out on why her magic didn't work, saying stuff about the biological structure of humans being different, his powers being stuck with him like a virus; things like that. Point was, she didn't know what caused his powers to stay but she was gonna see if she could look into it.

Now here he was, making his way towards Sweet Apple Acres because Applejack had sent him a note, asking for him to come and work on something with her, Big Macintosh and Apple bloom. She didn't say what they were doing, all that involved was that they would be taking a trip to the Everfree Forest. Jack had been in their before, so he really wasn't sure what they were going to find exactly; but he hoped whatever it was it would be exciting enough to wake him up!

Spotting the farm field, Jack blinked as he stared up at the Apple trees above. Giving one next to him a good kick, he reached up and grabbed a falling apple; figuring some food would help wake him up abit. Chomping into the red, juicy apple; he smiled slowly as his weariness left him slowly. If he was gonna be helping AJ with something; he'd prefer to do it awake. Stretching once more, he muttered "So…I'm stuck with fire powers".

As he trudged towards the house, passing through the gate he went into thought. This was both good and bad. Good because…well obviously, he had fucking fire power now! He could gather up flames in his palms, shape shift it into what he wanted; use..use fire! But the bad news was..well, he seemed to get angry or irritated easily. Being how his powers were trigged by his anger, he had to keep his anger under control else he could end up burning down Ponyville!

That, and with this power in his hands, he had to still remember he was bound (unfortunately) to the laws of the land still. Just because he had powers, didn't make him god and gave him the right to go around and do whatever he wanted. He couldn't go and torch ponies for making him mad, or disagreeing with him. He acted like a dick at times he admitted; but he was no bully!

Nodding confidently, he trudged up to the front door of the home as he checked his watch. 6:40 in the morning? Why in the world did they want him here that early? Knocking on the front door, he watched as it slowly opened and out stepped Big Macintosh, who stared down with mellow, but friendly eyes at the human.

"Sup Big Mac, personally I prefer a Dell" Jack greeted with a joke only he would get, as he chuckled at the computer reference.

Big Macintosh smiled lightly, not understanding what he was talking bout, but still pleased to see him. "Howdy Jack" Big Macintosh greeted, shaking the humans hand with a strong hoof. Noticing how tired he was, he asked "We're in the middle of breakfast if you want any, we got plenty of apple pancakes".

Jack looked like he wanted to kindly refuse, yet as he peeked past Big Macintosh; he spotted Apple Bloom, Granny Smith and Apple Jack all sitting at the table, eating delicious apples as he felt a pang of…sadness? Why was he feeling a pang of sadness, that didn't make any sense since he had nothing to feel sad about. Noticing as AJ and Apple bloom spotted him, they both smiled as they waved, beckoning him to join them. Blushing lightly, he turned back to Big Macintosh. "Ah, no thank you..I'll umm..just eat out here" Jack explained lightly.

"Is their sumthin wrong" Macintosh asked, raising a brow out of curiosity.

"Nah, I umm..I don't want to intrude" Jack responded softly, raising a hand to stop any argument that he would be welcomed. "I just wouldn't feel comfortable in such an environment" Jack explained, hopping Macintosh would respect his wishes. Receiving a nod as Macintosh went to go and get some food for Jack, Jack sat down on the porch as he the image of the Apple family sitting around the table, eating breakfast together sat in his mind. "Dad used to make scrambled eggs with bacon, along with some sausage" Jack thought to himself, as he thought of his father. How would he react if he knew what kind of person he was? Would he be proud, or ashamed of him?

Hearing hoof's approaching, he turned in time to receive some pancakes from Big Macintosh. Nodding in thanks, Jack turned back as he breathed in the morning air, as he thought more of his dad. It was always hard for Jack growing up, wondering if his dad was alright. As a military brat, he felt lucky since his dad was stationed in the states, so he saw him most of the time. That was until Jack turned ten, and he was sent overseas. When that happened, Jack felt like his father had abandoned him. He kept in contact a lot yeah, but how Jack had longed to see him face to face.

Smiling lightly at fond memories, he remembered once how his dad had taught him how to throw a punch. He was eight years old, and had gotten from school with a black eye courtesy of Butch Harrison. His dad believed in standing up for oneself rather than being slothful, and doing nothing out of fear of punishment for doing the right thing. So, he ran him through some tactics on how to deceive opponents, proper way to punch and how to bluff in the face of a greater threat then one's self. "Heh, Dad was a real hero" Jack smiled fondly, as he then thought back to the Apple family and…

Blinking, he felt something wet in his eyes as if triggered unconsciously as he reached up, and touched his eyes; surprised to find..tears? Why was he crying? Hearing someone approach, he became angry with himself as he muttered "How..stupid" as he rubbed any signs of tears outta his eyes. Looking down at his plate, he realized he had finished the pancakes right down. He musta been really hungry to do that. Glancing up, he smiled as AJ, Applebloom and Macintosh approached. "Hey, what's up" Jack asked.

AJ grinned, as she poked Jack playfully in the shoulder "Hope yer not too tired Jack, cause we're gunna go out and retrieve the main ingredient for our Zingy Apple pies" she grinned.

"Zingy…apple pies" Jack repeated back, staring with a confused expression. That was a weird name for a pie. "Uhhh, we're going out to get something for pies? Am I gonna be making pies, cause I'm no cook",

Apple bloom waved her hoof in dismissal. "Nah silly! The pies are pretty much done! All we need now, is the ingredient that will make them the best, mouthwatering, tastiest, delicious apple pies you've ever eaten" smiled Applebloom, as she glanced up at Macintosh. "Ain't that right Big Macintosh"?

Big Macintosh smiled simply as he remarked "Eeeyup".

"Ahh, so anything special about this ingredient? You said something about going into the Everfree forest, so I guess IM to imagine that's where it grows" Jack asked.

"That's right, it only grows their and all we need to do is retrieve it from our good friend, Zecora" Applejack answered, glad that she was getting a chance to introduce Jack to her friend.

"Uhh..Zecora huh? Why does she live in a creepy forest? Is she some kinda witch, or a hermit" questioned Jack, as he tried to imagine what this Zecora looked like. Maybe she was some giant, one eyed orge that wore a robe and spoke with a big, booming voice? Or perhaps Zecora was invisible to add a lure of mystery towards what she truly looked like, so that way she could deceive passersby"?

"Nope! She's a zebra" Applebloom answered with a smile.

"What? You have Zebra's too" Jack demanded, as he looked up with annoyance. Earth was a really simple place, had humans as the dominating creatures, had rules and laws (which he usually didn't listen to) that were in place, and had nothing supernatural. Canterlot had everything that Earth didn't have! Talking horse, magic, mythical beings. Now, when Canterlot has things that Earth does have, like Zebras that just makes it more annoying since it made Jack wonder if Equestria was even on another planet? Heck, maybe this was all just one giant island in the middle of the Atlantic ocean, and the world was completely unaware of them….naw, that's stupid.

"Ahh, Jack? You okay" Big Macintosh asked curiously, noticing that Jack was staring off into the distance with a far away stare.

Shaking his head, Jack shrugged "Err, yeah I'm alright. Just abit tired is all". Looking at the ponies, he remarked "Alright, so if we're going to get this special ingredient, then let's go now. I wanna get this down and over with". Staring away, he smiled "Here's hoping we accomplish our goal with no conflicts huh"?

The Everfree forest wasn't far since Jack had been there before, and entering it once again made him get a strong feeling of déjà vu. He couldn't help wonder if all his adventures and exploits, were gonna take place in this stupid forest. He could only hope no. Having just entered it, Jack grumbled as he pushed side stray branches and bushes out of his way; letting out a grunt whenever one came and wacked him in the face.

"Heh heh, and so I started spinning round at a really fast pace, I thought I was gonna chuck sumthin up" giggled Applebloom, as she recited to Jack about the time where she had developed Cutie Pox, her special talents forcing her to obey and do their bidding. As much as it taught her a lesson of patience, and not to go jumping head long into trouble; she did find it a little bit funny on what was happening to her.

Jack chuckled at the story the filly laid out before him, finding it kinda fun to listen to their exploits of previous situations. "Heh, you learned your lesson, I didn't it seems when it comes to charging into trouble without thinking about the consequences". Messing up Appleblooms mane with a free hand, he grinned lightly as she poked Jack back. Turning to face Macintosh, he shrugged. "How about you? Got any tales of embarrassment to share" Jack asked Big Macintosh.

Big Macintosh's blinked, as he looked away chuckling shyly. "Ahh, welp there was one time when umm…haywire spell from Twilight caused every pony that looked at her doll Smarty-pants to want it. I think the affects were still messing with mah head after the spell left since I grabbed the doll and ran". That wasn't entirely true however.

Covering his mouth, Jack had to keep himself from snorting with amusement as he heard what had happened to Macintosh. "Oh man, that sounds pretty embarrassing indeed. Poor guy" Jack teased lightly, earning a playful glare from Macintosh.

Applejack, who had been listening in on their conversations, couldn't help but add in her own input. "Actin all high aren't we Jack? Well how about you? Do you have any embarrassing stories you wish to share" AJ asked with a smirk. She already knew one from what she had heard from Fluttershy the other day, as Big Macintosh and Applebloom stared at him with amusement; causing him to blush as he glanced away.

"Ahh, well there was yesterday. I thought Fluttershy was going to have me teach her how to be a braver Pegasus, ya know something I could probably do. Turns out, she wanted me to escort a dragon. You think I could handle something like that, cause you know this is me were talking about here" explained Jack, with a little bit of cockiness in his voice as he shrugged "Problem was, that the dragon was quiet obsessed with giving me hugs at every chance it could get".

Applejack giggled lightly at the thought, knowing this counted as embarrassment as Jack wasn't a hugging person to be honest. More like the "I'm willing to shake hands and that's it" type. "Heh heh, afraid that Fluttershy was gonna reveal a more sensitive side to ya Jack"? She had to resist a full on laugh attack, as Jack shot a glare in her direction.

"Yeah, sure..laugh at me now. I'm sure you won't be laughing when a hideous monster, devouuuuuaaa" Jack shouted in fear, as he slipped and tumbled down an embankment and into a mud pile, splashing his jet black hair with a filthy brown. Shaking his body rapidly, he stared down at himself in exasperation as he heard the sounds of the others approaching, as he idea fit into his head. Gripping his knee, he fauxed moaned in pain. "Oo, ow my knee" he moaned, trying to withhold a grin as AJ approached.

"What's wrong with it? Are you alright, cause that didn't seem like a good fall" Apple jack started as she got closer to Jack, trying to examine his knee when suddenly she was splashed in the face with mud, gawking as she started at Jack in shock! "You good fer nuthin weasel" She glared, as she pawed at the ground angrily. Tackling Jack deeper into the mud pile, she looked like she was about to hoof him in the face…but instead was rubbing mud all over his hair; laughing all the way.

"Heey! Me too! Pile on" Apple bloom giggled as she jumped into the pile, getting muddy herself as she applied mud to her sisters mane as the three of them fought in the mud; trying to gain dominance over one another in a playful match.

Big Macintosh sat at the side, rolling his eyes at the childless of the three. This thought received a mud ball in the eyes, as he shook his head as smirked at the three. "Aw right then, that's how you want it" Big Macintosh grinned as he tackled them all; messing up Jack' hair with a hoof as he laughed along with them, feeling good for how silly they were acting.

"Alright alright, enough mud wrestling" Jack chuckled, getting to his feet as he brushed himself off; shaking his head at how messy and dirty he was. "As fun as that was, we seriously need to get to this Zecora. I'd rather us not waste anymo..Oof" Jack gasped as he was pulled back into the pony pile. Apart of him protested as the Apple family continued to mess around, whilst another part of him went along with their antics; figuring that moments like these where one could take a breathe and relax didn't come by often.

Best to grab them whenever one has a chance.

"Oh boy" Jack thought, rolling his eyes in mock annoyance.

"Uhh. That's her place" Jack asked, having expected a lot of things, but certainly not this! The team had stopped in front of an old willow tree, hanging in an almost depressing manner. A large door was at the base of the tree, above it a strange looking tribal mask. Multiple potions hanging from the branches, making the place look all around creepy. "Is she into some weird, voodoo ritual stuff" Jack asked the Apple family, who looked amused at his skeptism.

"Trust me Jack, I thought the same thing when I came here for looking for Apple bloom when she supposedly went missing" Applejack smiled at Jack. Noticing no lights on inside, she frowned "That's odd though. Usually she's home, since I don't see any lights on inside. Maybe she went out looking fer sum more ingredients for her potions"?

Jack let out a snort, finding it rude for this zebra to not even prepare for her guest to be coming over. "Really? You're gonna get this heart's desire stuff from her, and she's not even her to greet us? That's kinda rude don't ya think" he asked with irrational his tone.

"She might be busy" Big Macintosh spoke simply, as he trotted up to Zecoras window. Peeking inside, he blinked as he could see nothing but black, empty darkness. "Ah can't really see nuthin" Macintosh squinted.

Without a word, Jack stormed up as he said "Okay, this issue is simple to solve". Going up to the door, he grabbed the handle and..was surprised as the door opened unlocked. "Burglars" Jack thought, narrowing his eyes as he stepped inside the dark room, breathing slowly as he tried to focus his vision to see anything at all. Yet the darkness was so intense, that he couldn't even see his hand two inches in front of his face! As he was about to call to the others, he gasped as suddenly the door slammed shut, cutting off any light and shrouding him in darkness.

"What the hell" Jack shouted in alarm, whipping his head around rapidly to look for trouble. Suddenly, a blue hum of light lit up, from a large cauldron; as a puff of smoke shot into the air as it started to spin and turn rapidly around the cauldron. The air smelled of something that had been heavily burnt, and attempted to be reheated. Something was standing on one hoof or foot or something, balancing on a boa staff as a female voice chanted in a language that sounded Swahilic, and yet sounded different at the same time.

Jack watched as the faster this creature chanted, the more light shot from the cauldron as she drove a hoof into the air as suddenly the pot's light exploded, throwing the room into darkness once more as he took a step forward, and felt his hand collide with the boa staff. A heavy weight collapsed onto his back; sending him onto the floor in pain. Jack flinched as the light turned on, the Apple family stepping into the house as he shook his head to shoot away the stars and swirls turning in his eyes.

Looking up, he was surprised to see another pair of large eyes, looking back at him with curiosity. She was about the same height as Applejack, maybe abit taller. Her fur was a mixture of grey with zigzagged black stripes. Her hooves he guessed, were a solid black. Around her neck, and left leg was golden spiral jewelry he could only guess, as a golden ring hung around her ear. She had a mowhawk of some kind, a mixture of black and white in coloring, whilst her..cutie mark was a spiraled looking sun that almost seemed to want to hang around her striped tail. The creatures blue eyes danced with curiosity as it stared at Jack hard.

"Ahhh…" Jack drowned off, wondering what he should say as he realized the creature was sitting on him. "Would you please get off" Jack asked, politeness and rudeness combined in one fell swoop.

The creature raised its eye as he nodded in agreement, getting off Jack as she allowed him to stand so she could get a better look at him. Putting a hoof to her chin, she spoke in a deep, almost Swahilic accent "An unusual creature, I have never seen. Quiet clear however, that you are a teen".

"Did she just rhyme" Jack thought to himself, wondering if she was either extremely pretentious, or just quirky?

"Howdy Zeocra, glad to see you again" Applejack greeted, as Applebloom ran past Jack and gave Zecora a hug.

"Hmm Hmm, I am glad to see you as well Apple family. Your determination to create tasting goods, shows you don't dilly dally" Zecora smiled at her friends, giving Applebloom a friendly pat on the head. Turning to face Jack, she smiled "I am Zecora, a zebra you see. To encounter one such as you, fills me with glee".

"Not pretentious" Jack spoke aloud, as he said "Ahh, my name is Jack. I'm a friend of the apple family. I've come from another world, and am settling in here until I can..find a way home". That last part was a lie, and he knew it. He wasn't even sure if he even wanted to go back home to the life he had before.

"A human you say, how interesting. To be from another world must be quiet riveting" Zecora complimented, not noticing Jack get a strange look on his face.

"What's with the rhyming" he asked finally, wanting to know why she was doing it. It sounded kinda amusing to be honest.

Zecora chuckled as she smiled "I find it fun to rhyme, would you care for a lime". Raising a hoof, she offered Jack a lime as he kindly declined. Looking over the human, she couldn't believe how fascinating he was. He himself was like her! An outsider in a way, not like anyone else around these parts, and yet here he was accepting her for who she was. Perhaps he was a rather, open minded individual that allowed such things. Either way, she was quiet pleased to see one so willing to speak his mind.

Getting an idea, Jack crossed his arms as he smirked "I really don't get why you rhyme? Personally, I think it's a big waste of time". Seeing him get a chuckle out of the Zebra, he thought to himself "I guess I pointed out how silly the whole concept is to her".

"Hmm hmm, if you wish continue to jest. I do not mind, partaking in your test" Zecora smiled bemused, as she turned to face every pony and explained on how she was merely testing some of her ritualistic lights, to see what sort she could brew up and show to every pony. When Applebloom asked if she had Heart's desire; she smiled as she nodded "Hearts desire's I have Applebloom. Though, I trust this time it won't be lead to your doom"? referring to what happened the last time when Applebloom used the Heart's desire.

Applebloom smiled sheepishly, as she said "Nuthin like that will happen Zecora. We just need it to make our apple pies the best, tastiest pies ever".

Jack pushed past the Apple family, an idea brewing in his head as he looked at Zecora seriously. "This heart's desire stuff. It's like magic right? It really works" he asked seriously.

Zecora nodded as she smiled "Magic indeed exists within Heart's desire. Tell me, you wish to use it to rid yourself of the power of fire". Noticing the shocked look on his face, she chuckled warmly as she pointed into the cauldron of brew. Staring into it, Jack saw a glimpse of himself wielding his power, a scared looking on his face as he searched around for a means to put it out".

"Oh I see.." Jack grumbled low, blushing as he realized she had already known this whole time. Coughing, he said "So does this magic have enough power to make me wish it leave"? As fun as it was to be able to wield fire, he'd rather not have the chance for it to corrupt him, transforming him into some sort of monster with villainous intent.

Zecora could see Jack really didn't want to have his powers, and yet as much as she wished she could help him; such things were beyond her powers. "I am sorry to say this, if it makes you sour. To take away your magic is beyond my power". The heart's desire could take his powers away, but only temporality and who knows how long that would even last! It could be an hour, heck it could be a year! Shaking her head, she turned to the pot that contained hearts desires as she started to empty what looked like, a glowing pink stew into large bottles to be store for the Apple family. As she did so, she smiled and offered "We have much in common, you and I Jack. Tell me, would you care for a snack"?

Shaking his head, Jack went over to the corner as he stared out the window into the swampy forest. This was bad. She was some sort of witch doctor, yet she couldn't even help him get rid of his powers? Not even with this all powerful Heart's desire could he get rid of them. Hearing trotting, he turned to face Applejack.

"You feeling alright Jack" She asked, concern in her eyes as she had noticed his chance in emotion.

"Course I am, why wouldn't I be" he smiled fakely, shrugging as if to show what he was feeling was no big deal. He could feel his cheeks going red as Applejack crossed her hooves, and raised a suspicious brow.

"Jack, as the holder of the element of honesty; I can tell when some ponies lying. Also, you're not lying real convincingly right now. So c'mon, you can tell me what's wrong" Applejack insisted, her suspicions leaving her voice as it was replaced with encouragement.

Averting his eyes to the ground, Jack grumbled "Can you keep a secret…"? Receiving a nod, he said "I'm afraid Applejack. DON'T…say a word" he warned, stopping her from speaking as he finished "Yes, I know "Tough guy Jack, scared of something. Well, this is serious" he grumbled. Looking back up, he said "Throughout history, humans have been greedy through their desires. One of them, is man's control over everything and anything around them. This power I'm worried we'll change me, put ideas in my head that I'm superior and that all should bow to my power. Stuff like that. And if I do change, when will it end? Would it even have an end"? Getting all that off his chest, he was surprised as Applejack placed a comforting hoof on his shoulder.

"Jack, I can understand your worry. The princesses have all this power, but rather than use it to oppress and hurt others; they use their powers for good intentions. Power does tend to put ideas in one's head, but as long as one remembers what's important then they got nuthin to worry about" Applejack explained with a smile.

"But the princesses are ponies, I'm a human" Jack explained, as he tried to explain that there was a difference.

"And you think there's a difference? That only humans our filled with corrupted thoughts to do harm? That's abit naïve Jack" AJ sighed, shaking her head as she decided to use a friend as an example. "Look at Twilight, her magic is probably one of the most powerful I've ever seen. She admits that although she gets thoughts to use her powers to get back at bullies, she knows it's not the right thing to do; so by telling herself that she stays on course". Smiling as she was getting his attention, AJ spoke "Take Spike for example. When he was transformed into a Dragon because of greed, he was able to transform back to normal because he remembered the value of generosity and of friendship".

Applejack smiled as she said "Even if something does happen, know that your friends won't give up on ya no matter what happens". Patting him on the shoulder, she turned to leave him to his thoughts; hoping she had gotten through to him.

Jack stare down at his feet, still feeling abit doubtful even after Applejacks words of wisdom; yet at the same time feeling abit comforted in knowing that if something went wrong, that his..friends would work to help him out. At least that way, he would know that he's not alone. Looking back up, he watched as the last of the heart's desire was poured into another bottle. Scratching his head, he muttered "I guess that's it huh? Time to head back"?

Receiving a cheerful nod as all the ponies said their goodbyes to Zecora, Jack stepped up gruffly as he shrugged "Ah, it was nice meeting ya Zecora". Sticking out a hand, he smirked "Good to see theirs someone as weird as me".

Chuckling, Zecora shook his hand with a hoof as she remarked "Weird you say, I do not know. Around your friends, your kindness is shown". Seeing the humans blushing cheeks, she continued to laugh warmly as she watched him turn waving at her as he exited her home, following the Apple family.

"Heh heh, then I dun passed out from exhaustion when Big Macintosh here, pointed out I had only gotten half the apple bucking dun when I thought I had gotten all of it. I was pretty exhausted due to mah pride keeping me from accepting help" AJ chuckled, watching as her siblings laughed as they remembered the event whilst Jack merely smiled lightly, feeling better since their talk.

Big Macintosh was carrying a large satchel that contained the bottles of hearts desire, as the group headed home through the forest as they recounted previous events to Jack, who listened with interest.

"So in a way, you were like me huh? Refusing to accept help even though you clearly needed it" Jack remarked; knowing he was putting himself down at the same time. He accepted help yeah, but only on things he knew he couldn't get done on his own! Things like..like…math! God, he sucked hard at math! He would study for hours and hours, thinking he had gotten it stone cold; only to see he had flunked when getting his test back. That's what he hated about math: You'd try you're damnest and all it would do is make you feel like an idiot when you failed!

"Ah suppose so Jack, though when it came down to it; I realized I needed help from mah friends. Heh, wish I learned that earlier before putting mah self through all that Applebuckin. I think I was drifting in and out of consciousness a lot that day" she chuckled.

"Eeeyup" Big Macintosh smiled simply, as he was about to go into another story before freezing on the spot as suddenly a noise interrupted his thoughts. Raising a hoof, he realized where they had wound up! In a large clearing, trees on all sides with large bushes that were rattling and shaking; low growling coming from within the bushes. "Sumthin's here" he spoke simply, his voice low as he glared at where the growling was coming from.

Applebloom gasped in shock, backing up as she got behind Jack and AJ, shivering at whatever creature was making such a horrible noise as she stuttered "Wh..whatever it is, it sounds nasty". Multiple voices then sprang up, inciting more growling as she corrected "Whatever **they **are".

Jack stood his ground, as he muttered "Whatever they are, I'm sure we can take em". Averting his eyes all around, he muttered "Hopefully we can keep em from..".

"Shh.." AJ shushed him.

Jack glared into the bushes, wondering what sort of thing was going to attack him now! This had to be the third time now that something has tried to kill him. Maybe he was cursed or something? His eyes slowly got bigger, as they stared at…at…what the hell was it? It resembled a wolf that much was clear. Its eyes glowed an insidious yellow, blazing as they stared back into Jack's eyes. Its fur was covered in…tree bark? Like it was a tree wolf, if that made any sense at all. It had long claws on its paw's, and snarled to show dangerous looking fangs.

"T..Ti..Timber wolves" Applebloom gulped in fear, as more of these wolves emerged from the bushes, slowly surrounding and encircling the group. Backing up, she gulped "Granny Smith told how she was chased by this beast".

"I don't think they're here to give us the neighborhood greeting" Jack muttered low, as he watched the wolves pacing around them, daring the ponies and human to make a move. "It looks like they want a fight" Jack thought to himself in heavy annoyance. Glancing back at AJ and Big Macintosh, he muttered "I'm gonna charge em. Get Applebloom to safety and then come back to help if you want".

"Are you plum crazy" Big Macintosh asked in disbelief at this gutsy human.

Shaking his head, Jack responded "Nah, I'm not crazy. Just it seems I've been getting into a lotta fights lately with other creatures. May as well not deny it". Shifting the heel of his left foot up, he muttered "Go…now". Reaching down, he picked up a heavy stick as he kicked his heels and charged at the group, screaming "BANZAAAAAAAIIIIIIIII"!

"Go now" Applejack insisted, as she pushed for Applebloom to move, as they rushed towards the exit of the clearing. Jack had moxie, she had to give him that; but this was incredibly reckless of him! Charging in like that, screaming his head off. If he wasn't careful; he'd end up hurt or worse! Helping Applebloom up a tree, AJ instructed "Stay here and don't move".

Big Macintosh meanwhile was keeping an eye out for trouble, wanting eagerly to go back and help the human.

"But sis! Jack needs help" Applebloom insisted as she started to climb back down but was hesitant to do so when AJ gave her a stern look. "Pu..please make sure he doesn't get hurt" Applebloom asked; worried for her friend.

"Grrrrrrr" Jack growled back, as he had been forced onto his back by a timber wolf, and was now holding back its jaw's in the thick stick as Jack attempted to throw him off, using the stick like a shield. Seeing the wolf bite through the wood, Jack reached up as he fought with the dog; attempting to keep his muzzle away from him. "Get off" Jack shouted angrily, managing to get a flailing foot under the dog, and kick him off of him. Rolling up, he shifted his body back to avoid a slash to his cheek as he brought his boot up and kicked the flying dog in its stomach; sending it away from him. Turning around, he jumped back from a paw slash as he gripped the newcomer's tree fur and punched it square in the nose.

"Oowww" Jack hissed, shaking his now aching fist from punching hard bark. That moment of hesitation was all the dogs needed as one jumped onto Jacks back, forcing him to the ground. As he was about to be bitten, Jack closed his eyes as he waited to feel the pain. But it never came as suddenly the dog was sent flying off of his back. Getting up, Jack was surprised to see the timber on its back; after behind head butted off by Applejack, Big Macintosh right behind her.

"Wow..thanks" Jack muttered, getting back to his feet as he got back to back with Applejack and Big Macintosh. "Well, now we just need to take care of these morons" Jack grumbled.

Big Macintosh nodded as he charged into the middle of the mesh, kicking and hoofing away at any wolf that would dare get close to him. He let out a gasp as one of the wolves slashed at the satchel; creating a hole in it as he glared "How dare you"! Head butting the wolf, he failed to notice a bottle of hearts desire fall out and into the bushes.

AJ had her rope out, swinging it above her head as she jumped to avoid being slashed at; as she used her rope to tie around a group of the timber wolves, fastening it and bringing them together as they were all bunched up! "YEEEHAWWW" she shouted, as she kicked at the group; sending them spiraling all over. Backing up with Jack and Big Macintosh, she looked around rapidly as more seemed to appear outta nowhere.

"Any ideas" Big Macintosh asked, as he pawed the ground lightly with an intense glare in his eye. Despite how big the stallion was in comparison to the timber wolves, they were not intimidated due to their large amount of forces.

"Just one" Jack thought growling as his fist ignited into flames, matching his rising anger at the bastards that dared threaten his friends. Suddenly, a thought occurred in his head "Oh shoot" he muttered, realizing he couldn't use his fire powers in here! Surrounded by dead trees, if he lit up anything here; he'd burn down the forest! "Grrr…" Jack thought, as he noticed something. The wolves seemed sheepish, almost scared by the fire.

"Idea.." Jack muttered to himself, as he decided to see if he could use his powers on something internally rather than externally. Sending his ability to ignite stuff down to his vocal cords, he added heat to the vocal box to make his voice sound more threatening. "**WHO DARES THREATEN THE GREAT AND POWERFUL JACK" Jack's voice boomed loudly, as his whole body ignited as he was covered in a fireball; maintaining the fire close to himself. Watching as the wolves yelped and started to back up, he shouted "LEAVE THIS PLACE, AND NEVER RETURN UNLESS YOU WISH TO SUFFER MY WRATH"! To make his point, he allowed his flame to become larger; as he started to cackle evilly into fooling the wolves.**

That seemed unnecessary as the wolves turned with their tails between their legs, running for the hills. Watching as they ran, Jack smirked as he calmed down; the fire extinguishing from his body. Letting out a grumble, he shook his head rapidly as he shot the Apple family a chuckle. "Ahh, abit much" Jack asked casually.

"JACK" Applebloom shouted, giggling as she hug tackled the human; sending him to the ground as she succumbed to the typical child excitement. "That was so cool! I can't believe what I just saw! How did you" Applebloom smiled excited, but was shushed gently by Applejack.

"Heh heh, That was amazing Jack! I've never seen anything like that. How did yo.." She started to ask as she noticed how dizzy he appeared.

"No question please, let's just goes home" he smiled lightly, rubbing his forehead to help the pain leave his head.

The wolves had been running this entire time, unable to believe how easily that they had failed their mission. They were supposed to take care of the ponies when that damned human showed up! How were they supposed to please the master? Feeling a dark presences watching them, they slowly turned to face their master; shivering in fear as they gazed upon his sight. Looking down at their paws, one of the wolves walked up to the master; holding a bottle of hearts desire in his mouth.

The master titled his head in anticipation, as he beckoned for the wolf to approach. As the wolf stopped in front of him, the master gently took the heart's desire; as it started to glow; revealing the master's chaotic sense of fashion as Sid Coredin's face lit up; a malicious sneer etching over his face as he stared up the vial that could make all that he wanted to become a reality.

"Excellent.." Sid sneered slowly, a dark chuckle escaping his lips.

_**What are you up to Sid? Welp, till next week. Had to switch classes again like last year. I really am cursed when it comes to important things. **_


	12. Chapter 12

_**My little pony: The Urchin and the Princess**_

_**Disclaimer: Thanks to Antrxx, Golden COG Dignity, furycutter, Hanzo of the Salamander 2.0 and every other consistent reviewer! You bronies rock!**_

_**Chapter 12: The mischievous pair**_

"Cross my heart, and hope to die; stick a cupcake in my eye"!

That was the promise that Pinkie Pie had given Jack, after her cake had exploded; and she had gone promising that the next time they spent together would be better and that she would be able to regain Jacks trust, no problem at all! That was the thought running through his mind, as he trudges towards Sugarcube Corner. Jack knew that he had said that he'd give them only one shot at regaining his trust, and when he later thought about it; realized that was abit harsh so he had to be more realistic.

Turns out that was the right course of action, because Pinkie Pie really had a hard time taking things seriously. Even though she was a teen around his age, she acted at times like a big kid at heart. It was kinda annoying at times, seeing how bubbly she acted and was always attempting to spread her cheerfulness towards others like some sort of disease. Heck, Jack succumbed to it a couple of times, and perhaps he was being unfair; but he couldn't do it today! If he showed that he was easy to get to laugh or something, Pinkie might get it in her head to not take regaining his friendship seriously and just breeze on through it.

That couldn't happen, no matter what. After the other day when he got to try out an Apple pie with a mixture of hearts desire (Which was by the way, drop dead delicious!), Pinkie had asked if he wanted to come over tomorrow to spend time together. She got it in her head to see if she could regain his friendship through laughter, or at least getting a smile of friendship from him. Whilst Jack was giving way towards being their friends again, he couldn't go easy here. Oh no way!

Trucking up to the front door of Sugarcube corner, he knocked on it lightly. Hearing no one answer, he glanced up as he suddenly remembers. It was a bakery! HE had to come in. Cheeks going red with embarrassment for his dumbass moment, he begrudging open the door as he was greeted by Mr. and Mrs. Cake. "Ahh, heya" Jack waved to the Cakes, as he shrugged in differently.

"Oh! Nice to see you again Jack, please come in" Mrs. Cake greeted as she beckoned for him to come inside.

"What can we do for ya Jack" Mr. Cake asked the teen.

Looking around, he saw no sign of Pinkie. That..suddenly made him nervous. If someone was to describe Pinkie Pie as cartoonish, Jack would respond "Ha ha ha, oh you have no idea"! She was the most cartoonish, acting pony he had ever met since she had this weird ability to just pop outta nowhere; scaring the little spit outta him!

"Ahh, do you know where Pinkie is" Jack asked, his eyes wandering around worriedly as he was hoping she wasn't planning another scary moment.

"She's upstairs in her room right now, very busy from what I understand" Mrs. Cake explained.

"Ahh, thanks. I'll just go and let myself in" Jack nodded in thanks to the Cakes as he slowly made his way upstairs, beads of sweat going down his brow as he wondered what Pinkie was planning this time. What she gonna do now?

Reaching the door, Jack inhaled and exhaled as nervousness crept into his mind. Putting a hand on the knob, he slowly turned it as he entered into Pinkies bed room. It was a bit of a mess; board games scatted all over the floor. Darts having been embedded into a dart board behind Jacks head. A few bags of sugary snacks were all over the bed. Gulping, Jack stepped inside as he called out "Uhh, Pinkie Pie"? No answer. Glancing down at Pinkie baby alligator; gummy, he leaned down as he asked "Have you seen Pinkie Pie"?

All it did was blink slowly in response.

"Uh huh, why did I even ask" Jack grumbled to himself as he looked around ideally at her room; wondering if she was even here at all.

"BOO" Pinkie shouted, jumping up behind Jack with glee at the sight of her friend having shown up!

"SON OF A…" Jack shouted in shock, jumping away from her as he bonked his head against a cupboard. Groaning as he rubbed his head, he turned around to face the cackling earth pony with exasperation. "Why do you always have to do that" Jack thought to himself, as he glared at the giggling pony. Why did everything have to be a joke with her! Well, that wasn't true but..ugh, whatever. "Hey Pinkie" he answered monotone.

"Heya Jack! I'm so glad you were able to come over. I was worried that you wouldn't be able to come, since after the mishap with the cake but nope! I was wrong! I said "My buddy Jack is gonna come over, and were gonna have alotta fun". But what kinda fun should we do though? Should we play a game? Bake? Do a contest, ma.." Pinkie babbled at high speed before being silenced as Jack put a hand over her mouth to silence her.

"I think your cutie mark is wrong, cause you'd be a great sales pony. Able to get all the details out onto the field in one quick sentence" Jack informed her as he stared at her blinking eyes. Sighing, he said "Whatever we do, can we please try to keep the humorous stuff to a minimal? Or at least not talk as much"? Jack had just asked the impossible from Pinkie Pie. No humorous stuff, and not talk a lot. Couldn't be done with Pinkie.

Giggling, she moved his hand away as she smiled "But its fun to be humorous and silly! I do it all the time! Like this"! She crossed her eyes and stuck her tongue out; cocking her down to the left to look ridiculous as she touched the middle of her forehead.

Staring at her ridiculous face, on the inside Jack was chuckling. Outside however, he was stone faced with the mask he had placed on. "Hilarious" Jack responded grumpily.

Pinkie grinned "Oooo, some ponies being a Mr. Grumpy pants! I bet we can turn that frown upside down". Running into her closet ,multiple clothes were thrown out as she emerged moments later; in clown make up as she honked a horn twice; whilst she rode on a unicycle around Jack multiple times.

"Yeaaaaah" Jack responded with a roll of the eyes. Pinkie sometimes tried abit too hard, and it was clear that he wasn't exactly up for any of the typical yuck yucks. If he wanted to do something with her, it had to be something he'd enjoy but also be something they hadn't done yet. It seemed Pinkie wasn't about to give up so easily however as she continued with the crazy antics.

Running back into the closet, she came out in a doctor's outfit as she placed the stethoscope on Jack's chest, listening to his heartbeat. "Heh heh, I think this patient needs an extra dosage of laughter" she announced.

"Too bad you can't provide" Jack retorted cynically.

Pinkie turned away from Jack for a moment, as determined look on her face as she thought hard on what do. Jack certainly wasn't easy to make laugh since he seemed always serious. How could she get a laugh from him? She considered trying tickling, but that would be forcing him to laugh. "Plus, Jack would get angry" she said to herself as she continued to dwell and think about what she could do to help get a laugh outta Jack.

Thinking hard, she smiled as an idea came to her mind. "Well, well, welly. Jack is serious, and stone faced at times but can also be a real mischief maker! Heh heh, well how would he feel about doing some of that"! Giggling to herself, she then whirled around shrugging "Well, I guess there's no real point to this then. I mean, why bother". As she started to trot past shocked looking Jack, who was having hard time believing that she wasn't gonna do any games or nothing; she froze. Slowly turning to face Jack, she smirked "Unlesssss".

Jack rolled his eyes in heavy annoyances, wondering to himself "Oh what's wrong with me? Did I really think that Pinkie Pie was actually gonna give up, and not try to coax me into doing something crazy or stupid? You think I'd have learned". Sighing heavily, Jack remarked "What is it? I imagine something it's something that involves being completely hyped up on sugary sweets"?

"Maybe, if you want! How would Youuu" she started as she trotted back up to Jack and poked him in the nose. "Like to go and do some pranks around Ponyville? Harmless fun stuff" she grinned lightly, hoping that would appeal to Jacks better nature.

A light bulb seemed to go off above Jack, as he raised a brow slowly. "Huh" he asked, as he stared at the earth pony curiously. She wanted to go around pranking others? It did match her personality he had to admit yeah, but at the same time he was wondering to himself if he would end up being pranked by the pony. Looking up, he pictured images in his mind of the other ponies around town being pranked in hilarious, but harmless manners. Unable to hide a chuckle from the image, he stared back at Pinkie with a semi-disinterested look. "Meh, I dunno. Better than sitting around here doing nothing" Jack commented ideally.

"Great! Ooo, this is gonna be fun" Pinkie hopped up and down, around Jack as she grabbed his hand. "Let's go out and start pranking right now" she urged eagerly, wanting to get in as many pranks as possible before the sun went down.

"He..hey wait a sec! Isn't a plan needed or something for these kinda things" Jack stuttered, as he staggered after Pinkie watching as she had picked up a satchel; throwing it over her shoulder with a cheeky grin.

"Uh huh, we can make up stuff as we go! Use whatever we can for the pranks" she shrugged, as if it was nothing really big to think about.

Was she on something? Seriously, if she was he wanted some of that cause pranking took planning, and careful procedures. He had learned from experience that improvised pranking usually didn't work well since something always went wrong. That, or maybe he just never was able to pull of an improvised prank which should be a no brainer for Jack since he was great at improvising! Yet when it came to pranks…if Pinkie did know something about improvised pranking, he supposed he could learn something from her.

"Okay fine. Here's hoping this doesn't backfire huh" Jack commented, with a roll of his eyes knowing he had already doomed them.

"Aww silly! Nothing will go wrong! What could possibly go wrong on a day like today" she asked cheerfully.

"Ahh, can you run the plan by me one last time? You just sorta dragged me out here" Jack hissed quietly to Pinkie Pie, as they stood right outside Twilight Sparkles window, as the ponies of ponyville stopped to glance at the strange duo before moving on. Jack had been dragged all the way out to help Pinkie prank Twilight Sparkle in a way that would make all of them laugh, and not get anypony hurt. That seemed kinda naïve and stupid to Jack since someone ended up hurt either way…yet he pranked em anyway.

Thinking about how he and Sid had been pranking the town, he had been more reluctant in doing that stuff that would really get em hurt, since he just strived for pranking for thrills. Before he could get a chance to think any more on the subject, Pinkie interrupted his thoughts.

"Okay, okay! Here's what we're gonna do! Twilights about to start writing some notes, using a super, brightly inky that's gonna make Twilight wear really dark glasses. I say we switch the ink with something else" Pinkie giggled, as she brought out a vial of what looked like rainbow liquid, as it shun lightly in the sun light.

"Ahh, okay. Don't see how this is gonna work but.." Jack asked as he took the vial from Pinkies hooves, looking it over. Shrugging ideally, he turned to Twilights window, as he watched the unicorn place on the special glasses before dipping the quill into the ink, as she started to write on the huge parchment; causing Jack to flinch at the brightness. "I go make the switch whilst you distract Twilight" Jack asked ideally.

"Uh huh! Uh huh, exactly so" Pinkie giggled as she trotted up to the front door, knocking on it casually as she beckoned for Jack to get ready. Grinning as the door opened, she greeted "Hiya Twilight! How are ya"?

As Jack heard the two talking, he opened Twilights window as he gently slipped inside past the two. Watching as Pinkie continued to keep Twilight busy, Jack gently took the ink bottle that Twilight was using, as he supposed it had magical qualities being able to shine. Pouring it into another bottle, Jack then poured the rainbow liquid down the same vial quickly; wondering if this was gonna be funny as he whirled around and gasped as he saw Twilight was about to come back. Diving out the window, He shut it quietly as he watched Pinkie keep her busy enough before letting her go.

"Didja do it? Didja do it" Pinkie asked ecstatically as she hopped over next to Jack.

"Shh" Jack shushed as he watched Twilight put the glasses back on, as she used her magic to dip the quill into the rainbow vial. Immediately, the unicorn used it to start writing as the letters were stylized in rainbow coloring, as well as giving off a powerful fragrance as Jack watched how ridiculous her letter was looking now. Snorting, he blinked as he watched Twilight sniff the air, as he cracked the window open enough to hear her say "Smells like..cherries"?

Twilight removed her glasses, curiosity in her eyes as she gasped in shock! "What in Celestia's name" she gawked at the sight of her letter, the scent of cherries from the rainbow from when Pinkie had spayed cherry fumes into the bottle to mix with the liquid. Hearing laughter, she whirled around and spotted a chuckling Jack, and a holding her gut with laughter; Pinkie Pie! "HEY" Twilight protested at the sight of them.

"RUN" Jack shouted, as he pushed the pink earthpony away as he took off running, Pinkie right behind him as he hoped to get away before Twilight decided she was in the mood to practice some more transformation spells.

Twilight watched the two run, shaking her head as she turned to look at the mess they had made of her letter. Pinkie had distracted her in order to let Jack replace her ink! She suppose she shouldn't be angry since really, no pony got her thought this meant that she had to start her note all over again! Allowing a smile to reach her mouth, she thought "Oh well, it was all in good fun".

"Heh heh heh! That was alotta fun! Tell me you had fun, cause I certainly did. The running, the pranking, the laughing! All fun" Pinkie babbled at high speed, as they stopped in the center of Ponyville square, as Pinkie ignored the weird looks she was given. Freezing, she beamed "Is that a smile I seeee" she asked playfully, as she poked Jack's shoulder.

Rolling his eyes in amusement, Jack chuckled "I guess that was abit funny, though not funny enough". Just because he admitted it was funny, didn't mean he was gonna be all "Oh yeah! We're totally friends again". Shrugging, he commented "You'll have to do better than that really if you want things back to the way they were before". Seeing her grinning at him, he allowed a touch of annoyance to creep into his voice. "What" he asked.

"I think you're in denial Jacky" Pinkie giggled, struggling to laugher harder as Jack glanced away.

"Am not" he denied, as he grumbled "Whatever, next pony".

"Whatever you say" she grinned as she yanked his hand to find the next pony to prank.

"Ahhh, I don't know. I was here just yesterday" Jack admitted to Pinkie Pie, as he spied from within the bushes over at Sweet Apple Acres. He had gotten AJ's friendship, and he was unsure if pranking her a day later was a good idea. That, and she was a pretty tough pony! He'd hate to be on the receiving end of her anger…"not that he couldn't take her that is" he quickly amended. Slinking back down, he said "Do you have plan"?

Pinkie nodded, as she pointed over towards AJ who was currently retrieving buckets of water, from a nearby lake. "Easy, we.." she smirked as she whispered into Jacks ear her idea causing him to roll his eyes as he asked her if she was serious. "Uh huh! You'll see" Pinkie grinned as she went over to talk to AJ, watching as Jack went to do his part of the plan.

Jack stared over at

"Howdy Pinkie! How's it goin" AJ asked, as she put down her water barrels as she offered the pink pony a friendly smile, abit tuckered out since she had been collecting water for a while now today. She failed to notice Jack creep past her in the background, doing his best to hide a child-like mischievous smirk, on his face.

"Oh not a lot! I've just been keeping Jack busy. Though I can't seem to find him since he went and vanished" Pinkie feigned ignorance as she looked around curiously. Smiling, she asked "Have you seen Jacky"?

"Fraid to say I haven't" Applejack smiled as she shrugged "I've been working all day, and I haven't seen one sight of him. Maybe he's back in Ponyville" AJ responded as she trotted over and picked up to more barrels to fill up with water.

"Oh darrrn, oh well. See ya" Pinkie waved, trying to hide a grin as she watched AJ walk under a large oak tree.

"Have a nice day Pinkie, and hey why do…huh" AJ froze as she felt a tap on her shoulder as she had turned away to get more water. Turning around, her eyes widened in horror as she stared into the crossed eyes of a human, with his tongue stuck out as he hung upside down from the trees branch.

"BLAWWWWWW" Jack called out, hoping to catch AJ off guard.

"GAAAAAAH" Applejack shouted in shock, dropping the water barrels as she felt herself about to lose her balance. Unable to keep her balance, she fell backwards and landed back first in the cold lake; getting complete soaked as her hat drifted above the water. Rising up moments later, she spat water out of her mouth as she glanced up with one eye open, giving Jack and Pinkie a wry look as Jack was simply smiling at her; whilst Pinkie was rolling with laughter.

"Heh, well I guess you could say you're all washed up. Too bad that..WHOOOAAA" Jack shouted in shock, as suddenly a grinning AJ reached up and yanked Jack hands first out of the tree as he collapsed into the lake. Emerging with a gasp, he was pulled into a head lock by the earth pony as she started to mess up his hair playfully. "ACk, C'mon AJ" Jack asked through laughter. It didn't count cause AJ was making him laugh, not Pinkie so it was acceptable!

"Whooose all washed up" Applejack giggled, as she continued to mess with Jack playfully. For someone as tuff as Jack, he sure acted silly sometimes. She didn't get long to think on it as her thoughts were interrupted by Pinkie Pie.

"Pony pile" Pinkie Pie shouted, as she tackled herself into the pile; getting all three of them soaked as she instigated splashing!

"Uggg" Jack grunted, rolling his eyes at the situation.

"Okay, that was abit better. But I'm getting the feeling that you are seriously holding back on me Pinkie Pie" Jack told her; as he crossed his arms in annoyance. They had managed to first prank Twilight Sparkle, replacing her ink. Then they pranked Applejack by scaring the crap outta her. But really, what else could they do next? Jack felt like Pinkie Pie wasn't exactly doing her best. Raising a brow, he asked "Is there anyone else we can really prank right now? Cause whoever it is we'd best go for the best".

Pinkie nodded, as she pulled Jack close and whispered into his ear on who would be next to prank. She could have sworn he was beaming on the inside at the pony as she had beamed herself. "It's really, really awesome I know! I just wonder how she'll react once we prank her really good, since she's a master prankster herself"!

"Ahh, she can be abit hot tempered…" Jack started to say. Realizing the look Pinkie was giving him, he snorted "Yeah, I know. Coming from me of all people, that's hilarious. But it's true, and are you sure that she's a good sport? Don't wanna go piss her off" shrugged Jack. Looking away, he thought to himself on how they could prank the last one. Thinking hard, he grumbled to himself "C'mon..what would be a good prank".

"OOOoo, I got it! We could dare her into flying through the woods as fast as we could. One of us waits for her, and then…" Pinkie started to whisper once more into Jacks hear her idea for a great prank, wondering if any of her was starting to rub off on Jack a little bit. Seeing as how he was still rolling his eyes, grunting and not really showing interest; she had to say no. That or he was hiding it from Pinkie.

Either way, Pinkie thought Jack was silly in his own way.

"Just hold onto these alright" Pinkie giggled, as she handed Jack two round spheres that seemed to be activated by removing the string from the top.

To Jack, they sorta resembled smoke bombs yet at the same time they seemed like a completely different thing. "Ahh, what's the plan again" Jack asked Pinkie, hoping she had a better idea of what they were gonna do then he did. She had dragged him out to find Rainbow Dash, who was currently on the outskirts of Ponyville; practicing maneuvers through some holes to help better herself in order to become a wonderbolt.

"Simple! I dare Rainbow Dash, you throw those and we all laugh" Pinkie responded simply, giggling with excitement at how this was all gone play out.

Jack on the other hand, was starting to get bored. Although the last to pranks had gone well, he had gotten a great laugh out of them; it was starting to get stale to him really. He didn't know, maybe it was cause he had been a major part of the pranks so far with Pinkie being the distraction and Jack being the one who had to go and do the prank. Maybe if things went differently, he would…Pinkie…pinkie…heh heh. A wicked smile etched over his face, as he slowly nodded to Pinkie Pie in agreement to her plan. "Okay Pinkie, we can do it your way" Jack smirked slowly in agreement, a glint of mischief in his eye.

Failing to notice the undertone in his eyes that implied something else, Pinkie giggled "Alrighty! Wait here". Trotting over to get Rainbow Dash, she thought to herself on what Rainbow would do after the prank? Maybe she would prank em back! Oooo, starting a prank war! That would be alotta fun! She could picture herself with a war helmet on, as she ordered for the custard pies to be launched at the enemy; making a huge mess!

Chuckling at the thought, she giggled "Hiya Rainbow Dash? Practicing for the wonderbolts as always"?

Rainbow Dash froze as she responded "Oh, heya Pinkie! Hold on a sec". Narrowing her eyes, determination lighting them up Dash backed up; as she zoomed at high speed through the targets she had set up; going faster and faster as time went by as she made it through all of the targets in ten seconds flat. Smirking, she chuckled "Aw yeah! That's why they call me Rainbow Dash"! Turning around to face Pinkie Pie, she asked "Ahh, what's up Pinkie"?

Smirking, Pinkie asked "Hey Dash! I was wondering if you were umm…up for something"? She hopped that didn't sound too suspicious since she was usually bouncing and beaming with energy. Fortunately, Rainbow Dash was too busy being cocky to notice. Offering her a grin, Pinkie asked "Do you feel up to doing a bet"?

Rainbow Dash raised a brow curiously, as she casually flew circles around Pinkie as she shrugged "What sorta bet did ya have in mind Pinkie Pie"?

"Heh heh, I bet that you can't make it from here" Pinkie point at the ground as she then pointed all the way out towards the exits of the outskirts near ponyvile. "To their in less than ten seconds" Pinkie grinned hopping she didn't sound too obvious. Though this was Rainbow Dash she was talking about, and her cockiness over took her reason and thinking.

Smirking softly, Rainbow Dash grinned "Oh yeah! I so take that bet! I'll definitely make it in less than ten seconds". Turning towards the direction she was heading, she got down as she lifted her hind legs up to help give her leverage for when she was gonna take off. Rainbow smirked as Pinkie "You sure you don't wanna take back that remark"?

"NOooooooo" Pinkie sang out, giggling as she knew that this was gonna be hilarious. Chuckling, she remarked "On three, kay Dash? Oooone, Twwwooooo…..THREE". Shouting that last part, she grinned widely as Dash disappeared in a flash of rainbow light; streaking towards Jack's location as she galloped as fast as she could towards where Jack was so she could the prank!

Dash grinned, as wind resistance made her cheek's flap; her body charging likes a bullet towards the victory. However, just as she was about to reach her goal; something dropped down in front of her and tossed something at her. Cause she was moving so fast, she was unable to stop herself as something collided with her face as an explosion of pink powder blinded her; causing her to go into a tumble as she skidded against the dirt as she let out a moan. "Uggg" Rainbow Dash muttered, as she shook her head rapidly to get rid of weariness.

Jack dropped out of the tree he was hiding in, as he commented "Boy; as repetitive as it is for me to get them like this, it sure does work; though I need to do something to make this different". Freezing as he spotted Rainbow Dash, he put a hand to his mouth to keep himself from laughing and yet he was unable to stop himself as he started to chuckle. Rainbow Dash's body had become a bright pink, her mane an even darker pink from the color bomb he had tossed. "Heh, pink's a good look for ya Dash" Jack grinned.

Dash glared, as she got up pawing the ground as she snorted "Jack, you dirty little..". She took a step forward to most likely hoof him, when Pinkie collided against her; running so fast that she had been unable to stop herself. "Pinkieeee" Dash sighed, as she stared down at the giggling earth pony.

"Hehehehehe, Dash you look..you look soo..OOF" Pinkie gasped as suddenly something collided with her nuzzle; exploding in a rainbow cloud of smoke. As it disappeared, Pinkie was now a deep blue with her mane being a rainbow styled color. Looking over herself, she looked up at Jack who was now laughing hysterically as he pointed at her and Dash.

"Oh god! Ha ha..y..you two look so ridiculous! Hahahaha! Pinkie Dash, and Rainbow Pie" Jack chortled as he was laughing so hard, as he fell onto his back holding his gut. Failing to notice Dash and Pinkie approach, he wiped the tears from his eyes as he froze to see them looming over him. An evil grin split their features as Jack stared up in hesitation. "Ah, hey umm…gottagoseeya" Jack spoke quickly, as he started to get up and run as Pinkie and Dash jumped him. "OOof, GAAAAH" Jack's eyes widened as Pinkie sat on his back and Rainbow sat on his rear as Pinkie started to tickle his sides.

"Heheheheh! I gotcha to laugh! We're friends again" Pinkie declared, as she continued to playfully tickle Jack's sides causing him to spas and struggled against his oppressors as she beamed happily at being able to get Jack to be her friend once more.

"Say uncle" Rainbow Dash grinned, as she pulled back on his leg in an attempt to get him to tap out and give up. Seeing him shake his head, she smirked "Oooh, tough guy huh? How about this"? Dash laughed aloud as she pulled back further as she heard Jack tap his arm against the ground to signify that he surrendered . Getting off of him, she grinned "That'll teach ya to pull one over Rainbow Dash".

As Pinkie let him up, Jack dusted himself off as he stared at the two. Offering them a casually shrug as if to signify this wasn't a big deal, a smirk etched his lips as he thanked "Thanks for today Pinkie…I really needed this".

Pinkie giggled as high hoofed him. "No prob Jack" she smiled.

_**This one was really hard for me, since thinking up the pranks was tough. That, and being dumped with loads of school work made it more stressful. But I did it! I got it down! Well, hope you all enjoy this chapter! See ya next week. **_


	13. Chapter 13

_**My little pony: The Urchin and the Princess**_

_**Disclaimer: Thanks to Antrxx, Golden COG Dignity, furycutter, Hanzo of the Salamander 2.0, and brony14 and every other consistent reviewer! You bronies rock! Now onto what ponies have been waiting for: More of Jack and Rarity. **_

_**Chapter 13: Sisterhood with a human.**_

"Ooo dear, perhaps I bring this along? Oh, but what if we want to talk? We'll get distracted and won't even look at each other! We'll be too distracted by the music" Rarity mused as she put down the radio and put a hoof to her mouth. She wanted everything to be absolutely perfect when Jack came over, so that the two of them would have a marvelous time! Jack was currently out, helping Fluttershy in watching over her animals; and he agreed to meet Rarity back at home when he was done so they could go to the beach! Just the two of them.

Smiling lightly, Rarity could picture the two of them spending the day at Seasaddle bay! The waves lapping at their hooves…err..feet. The sea gulls screeching overhead, as the wind flew through their manes...ahh…yes. The ocean sparkled as the sun reflected the beauty of the water. She could see Jack sitting next to her, shirtless as she stared at his chiseled chest; feeling like a little school filly with a crush as he offered her a wicked smile. As the two of them leaned into kiss, she was snapped out of her daze as she found herself kissing one of her mannequins.

"Gaah" Rarity gasped, rubbing her lips rapidly as she thought about it. What made Jack suitable for her? I mean sure, he was strong, brave, clever at times; really sarcastic. But she knew little to nothing about his background. Things like where he was from, what he liked to do, his fashion style, friends, family..though family seemed very touchy with him. Shaking her head, she mused "Hmm, perhaps I could spend time finding out about those things once he arrives".

A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts, as she rushed down stairs. Inhaling and exhaling, she opened the door as greeted Jack with a smile "Greetings Jack, it's so wonderful for you to be here". She almost blushed at the sight of him, as he was wearing a black tank top along with green trunks.

Jack had to change at Fluttershy's, so he felt sorta awkward going through town like this but found most of the ponies didn't even bat an eye. Maybe it was because they were always naked, so seeing a creature like him didn't really bother them that much. Shrugging ideally, he nodded "Sup Rarity". Entering her home, he stared as he noticed the wide array of decorative clothing on her mannequins as he commented "Doing some work for the day"?

"Well, I was doing some orders for some customers who were in the most urgent need of fashionable designs, but I have finished for the day and am ready to have some fun" Rarity grinned cheerfully. As she was about to go upstairs and get changed; she froze as she heard another knock at the door.

"I got it" Jack stated, as he turned to open it. Blinking at a mail pony, who handed a letter to Jack; he rolled his eyes as he said "Ah, it's from some guy named...Fancypants? That's a weird name".

Before he could even utter another word, the letter was yanked from Jack's hands and into an almost panicked/excited Rarity who ripped open the letter and started to read through it. "Jeesh, what is he your boyfriend or something" Jack commented as he watched Rarity's eyes zip through the letter like crazy.

Rarity gulped as she panicked "Oh dear, oh dear. Oh I hope things are well. Why would he contact me now"?

Jack was having a hard time seeing someone as cool headed as Rarity, panicking over some guy named Fancypants. "Ahh, mind telling me who this fancypants guy is? Is he some sort of celebrity"?

Rarity whirled around to face Jack, as she explained with excitement in her voice "Only the most influential, and important unicorn in Canterlot! Fancy pants is a celebrity indeed, and an entrepreneur to hoof! If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have gotten so much business as I have right now! I owe him much! Why, fancypants has purchased many of my outfits here, and has sent many letters of appreciation for my designs".

Crossing his arms, Jack snorted "So what, he some sort of big shot? So Rarity was friends with some uptight, stuck up, rich pony huh? A small part of him had hoped that in this world that their wouldn't be anything like that here; that he wouldn't run into any more rich douche bags and yet he was wrong. Oh so very wrong! "Just what I need to know, another stuck up, jerk who think's he's god's gift".

Rarity gasped at the statement, as she protested "Fancypants isn't stuck up! Why, he's one of the most humble celebrities I've ever met. He saw what sort of friends I have, and he didn't judge me for that". Something about Jacks statement made Rarity think that he didn't exactly have a high opinion of the super-rich and famous.

Looking away, Jack snorted "All of the super-rich are assholes. They look down on those who aren't up to their standards in money and status, laughing at the misery of others. Can you prove that Fancypant's not a complete jerk"?

Rarity glanced away as she tried to think of something that could be used to show Jack that not all of the highly influential or well off ponies were jerks, as she got an idea. "I'm well off; do you consider me a jerk"? She smiled as she saw Jack flinch, as his eyes shifted left and right as if he was trying to think of an excuse or some sort of reason.

"Ahh, well umm…ahh.." Jack stuttered as he realized he had no counter argument. He could say that she's an exception yeah, but what if he then met someone who was rich, and wasn't a jerk? Heck, he or she would have to be an exception to. Determined to at least stay annoyed, he shrugged "Doesn't mean I have to like the guy. What does he want anyway"?

Rarity shook her head in amusing as she re-read the letter, her eyes widening "Oh dear" she said softly as she read "Dear Rarity, the colt's and fillies are in desperate need of a new sense of fashion that they consider "Cool". I myself am unfamiliar with this word, but perhaps you could create something for me that could be distributed towards the youngsters". Looking up, Rarity mused as she said "Cool..Cool..That's more of Rainbow Dashes forte. Oh, but she's off at CLoudsdale for the day. Ahh…hmm…".

Turning back to face Jack, she panicked "Oh I'm sorry Jack, I'm afraid our trip to the beach must be canceled. I can't let Fancypants down! This is very important, and I need to locate someone who's well acquainted with coolness". Trotting past Jack mumbling, she mused "Ooh, but who could I find"?

"Ahem" Jack coughed, to get Rarity's attention as she turned to face him. He wasn't exactly thrilled about her having to stay back to work on some designer crud for rich snob, but perhaps this could be a way to help her out or something. "Ahh, I may not be an expert but I'm pretty sure I could help you out with the whole coolness thing. Wasn't a popular guy back home but ahh…yeah".

Deep down, he was seriously annoyed by all this that Rarity was putting off the beach, just to please some celebrity. What, did she have a hidden shrine for the guy too? Possibly, but still that made him abit angry. Still, he wasn't gonna be a baby and throw a fit over this.

"Really? You'd help me" Rarity asked, hope entering her voice as she slowly grinned. This was perfect! Jack wasn't a pony true, but he seemed to have a grasp of coolness. Who knows! Perhaps some of the styles that humans had could be a new sense of fashion here for the ponies in ponyville. Rushing behind Jack, she gently pushed him to the tables as she said "Alright then, we need to get started right away. Here's what we'll do". Going back towards her sewing kit, she smiled "You give me ideas on what is cool, weather through just telling me them or drawing them here if you have trouble; I'll create it and we'll see if it's cool".

"Ahh, sure that sounds alright" Jack shrugged, as he only said he had ideas and really didn't know if he was qualified to be some sort of coolness consultant.

As Rarity turned away to get to work, she glanced at Jack who was now sketching something on some paper for an idea. Smiling to herself, she coughed as she tried to bring up conversation. "So, ahem Jack. Tell me darling, what sort of things did you do for umm…fun back home"? She knew about humans now yes due to Jack having told them all about them, but she didn't know what sort of things Jack liked.

Shrugging as Jack drew, he remarked as if it was no big deal "Meh, I usually get into brawls with some punks that try to hassle me. It's a great way to get the blood pumping and I guess I kinda get high on the adrenaline rush from the flying punches and kicks".

Surprised by hearing that he liked fights, Rarity asked "You start fights because you like them"?

"I don't start fights, I finish them" Jack chuckled low, as he then remarked "Nah, usually people come after me. I guess it doesn't really help the situation since I enjoy fighting bullies, and jerks". Seeing Rarity staring at him, he was tempted to sarcastically remark on how on earth; fights were common. Shaking his head, he explained "I also enjoy gaming really, when I have the money for it that is. New arcade games are always coming out back home".

"Arcade games" Rarity questioned, not ever having heard of such a thing.

"Oh yeah, you don't have video games. Never mind" Jack responded quickly, going into silence as he continued to work. Staring at her, he asked "How about you? What do you like to do for fun"?

Rarity beamed, as she continued to sew something together "Well, I myself enjoy going out and having my mane stylized, creating new dresses". Rarity went off into a small explanation of what she liked to do, as she smiled "Why, this one time when I was passing by the town square; I could see a poor stallion with dreadful clothes. Soo, I went and made some new ones for him. He was really thankful for the generosity".

"You went out and made some clothing for someone you didn't even know? Ahh, that sounds abit odd to me" Jack glanced back as he had finished up his idea. A sleeveless, buttoned blue shirt with a skull design on the back. Satisfied with his picture, he showed it to her. "Check it, what do ya think" Jack asked with a smile as he wondered how the ponies would thank him for bringing a powerful sense of coolness to this land.

Rarity stared at the shirt, with a slight hiss being swallowed down her throat. It looked brutish, sorta like something a punk might wear really. Perhaps that was the sense they had on earth, since it could represent rebellion or pulling away from comforting. "It looks…really good Jack" Rarity smiled through her teeth, as she was really hesitant in making something like this.

Jack didn't catch her tone, as he shrugged "Used to wear it myself when I was younger, I figured that the colts and fillies here could use a little something from New York City".

Laughing lightly, Rarity decided to at least give it a shot in making it so that way she could at least see the final project, and hopefully like what she sees. As she started to get to work on creating it, she smiled "Ahh, is there any other questions you may have for me"?

Jack averted his eyes up, as he thought hard about what he could ask her. Remembering on how she had mentioned about her generosity, he asked "What is the deal with that exactly? This whole generosity thing? I mean, you say that you do it just to make others feel better about themselves, or just to be a nice pony. Why are you even so generous"? She was a really wealthy pony from what he could see, and yet she used that wealth to help others. The complete opposite of what others usually did with the amount of money they made.

Rarity giggled at the look of disbelief on Jacks face. "Well, what I get out of it Jack, is knowing that I did a good thing for that pony. Seeing the glow on their face, as they see the outfit that I had made for them; is reward enough for me Jack since I know that I'm helping out those that aren't as fortunate as myself. There are times when my worse nature of wanting something now, just because it looks lovely sometimes surfaces; but my generous nature shines much brighter than anything that I see in the shopping district.

"That last part sounded kinda corny" Jack pointed out, as he rolled his eyes in disbelief.

"And what about you Jack? Surly, there must be more to your fights then just because you find them fun" Rarity questioned, wanting to find out more about him.

Jack looked up, as he thought about what she said. Oh there was much more to it alright, but he didn't want to tell her because out of fear of her pitying him, heck telling the others and them doing it too! Sighing, he thought to himself "Then I'll tell her not to take any pity". Staring hard at her, he requested with a slight glare"Alright fine, what I'm about to tell you; don't say things like "I am so sorry" or "Poor you". Basically, I don't want any pity from you or anyone". Getting a nod, he shrugged "Truth is, it's my outsource to get rid of my pent up anger. Anger against..the world, life, my dad…everything really".

"You fought just to take out anger" Rarity questioned, not knowing about such a foreign concept. Remembering the picture she saw of Jacks father, she questioned "Why did you feel anger towards your da..". She froze at the glare he was giving. Obviously the dad thing was still a touchy subject, as she shifted too "towards the world..why did you feel anger towards the world".

Shoving his hands into his pockets, he grumbled "It was more like bitterness. I was bitter and taking that out on everyone around me, cause they had things that I didn't. A good life, good friends, good home. Things like that. I had to fight just to keep myself afloat in the world, whilst the rich kids got everything handed to them on a golden platter whilst they wiped their rears with thousand dollar bills. It really burned my blood to see those with such money to be wasting it away on pointless crud". The more Jack talked about it, the Angier he got. The angrier he got, a small fireball poofed around his fist. Noticing the wavering look that almost shifted towards sadness, he warned "Don't.."

Rarity had looked away, as she thought about what he said. "Are you still bitter Jack"?

Jack became silent for a moment, as he muttered to himself "I might be, I don't know to be honest. I do enjoy a good fight yeah, but maybe I'm not as a bitter as before. Who knows".

"You poor thing" Rarity thought to herself, her heart cracking as she had no idea that Jack had such a bad life. She figured as much from how he dressed, and acted but it all made a lot more sense now. Seeing Jacks fire, she gasped "Jack calm down, your hand".

Looking down, he gasped as he shook his hand rapidly to help get rid of the fire. Shaking his head, he muttered "Sorry…".

Rarity was distracted for a moment, as she realized that she had been able to finish the outfit shirt Jack was talking about. Smiling, she took it as she looked it over. Blue, the sleeves slightly ripped; buttons to help connect the shirt together. Turning to Jack, she smiled "Ahh, why don't you try this on? I'm sure it will umm..help you feel better darling". Handing the shirt to Jack, her eyes widened as she saw him remove his shirt; revealing his chiseled chest as she had to look away to hide the blush creeping up her features as she giggled to herself.

Trying on the shirt, Jack stared at it as he glanced at himself in the mirror. Yeah, he definitely looked cool in it. But he doubted that this would really be the right thing for the ponies in Canterlot. "Uh uh, not the right one" Jack insisted to Rarity as he shrugged indifferently. Getting another idea, he quickly went over and started to write something up for her. "Hmmm…what about this" Jack finished quickly, as he showed her a picture of what looked like a black leather jacket. "Something for them when they are cold during the winter time" Jack reasoned lightly, trying to forget about their discussion.

Rarity nodded as she mused "Hmmm that looks rather impressive. Why, I think you may have the makings of a fashion designer yourself Jack". Seeing him glance away, she smirked "Are you blushing"?

"No.." Jack denied, averting his eyes away.

"Heh heh, I may not be the holder for the element of honesty; but I don't need to be since you seem horrid at lying" Rarity teased lightly.

"That's only because I wasn't trying very hard" Jack protested, as he felt like his prestige was challenged. Pointing to Rarity, he said "I could lie whenever I wanted, and I couldn't be caught. Heck, just now when I told about why I fight; that coulda been a lie and you'd never know". Crossing his arms, he smirked "So…yeah, hah".

Trotting up to him, Rarity smirked "Oh, but could you lie so easily to some pony like me". To make it harder for him, she stared up into his eyes as she blinked multiple times to throw him off guard. She watched as he held her stare before staring away, inciting a triumphant grin from her. "Hah hah, I knew it" She chuckled lightly.

"Sure, make fun" Jack snorted as he felt something poking against his leg. Glancing down, he smiled lightly at the sight of Sweetie Belle. "Heya kid" Jack commented, as he chuckled in amusement as she stared up at him with awe.

"Hiya big brother" She giggled.

Jack raised a brow at that, as he commented "Big…brother"? Okay, he had heard a lot of weird things lately from these ponies but being called a big brother by one of them weren't exactly something he was expecting. "What brought this on" Jack asked casually.

Rarity chuckled "Really Sweetie Belle, don't you think that might be abit inappropriate"?

Sweetie Belle stared back up at Jack, as she asked "It's not inappropriate is it? I mean, you saved my life twice and you're living with us for now. You're really strong and brave. So, I guess I see you as a big brother".

"Even though I'm not a pony like you two are" Jack asked carefully, as although the notion did sound rather touching, at the same time he thought it seemed strange. Then again, there are cases where one becomes so close to another, that they literally treat them like their related by blood perhaps.

"Uh huh" Sweetie nodded cheerfully, as she grinned

Jack was surprised. These ponies had gone out of their way to be his friend, and ever since he had been living here with Rarity and Sweetie; apparently Sweetie now saw him as a big brother. He supposed there was no harm in letting the kid calls him whatever she wanted really. Shrugging, he reached down as he patted her head. "Sure thing kid" Jack remarked, not able to bring himself yet to call her "little sis".

Sweetie either didn't notice, or didn't care as she nuzzled her cheek against Jack's leg playfully, causing him to roll his eyes in amusement as she asked "Let's play a game"!

Rarity smiled at this moment, as she started to sew together the jacket Jack had thought up, as she said "Go ahead Jack, I'll be right here". Turning her attention to the jacket, she wondered if black was really a good color. Why not something like violet, or..green? She usually detested the color green, and yet finding that a really dark green might look like a very..cool color to use for the jacket. "Hmm, perhaps a symbol on the back too.." Rarity thought as she tried to think of something that she saw Jack do. When Rainbow Dash had knocked Jack out the first time she had met him, Rarity had noticed Jack had his middle finger on his right hand stuck up. Did that mean something? Hmm…

"Tell you what, I'll let you have the advantage of magic since your younger than me" Jack explained as he pointed down to the little unicorn. He had agreed to play a game of tag, though he was hopping this wouldn't result in breaking anything since when he used to play the game; things got broken. "Alright, so who should be it first" he asked casually.

"Onetwothree, not it" Sweetie called out, grinning as she turn and ran; immediately searching for cover where Jack couldn't reach her.

"Heh, playing that game are we? Fine by me" Jack chuckled as he chased after the little unicorn; hoping that nothing would be broken.

Sweetie rushed into the family room, as she looked around rapidly for a place to hide; as she passed by the marble see through glass, table. Not thinking, she dove underneath it as she clopped her hooves over her mouth to try and keep herself from giggling as she was unable to keep the grinning from coming over her face.

Rushing into the family room, Jack looked around past the portraits, expensive glass, tables, and other world possessions as he spotted a familiar looking tail sticking out from under the table. Chuckling to himself, he turned away as he called out loudly "Gee, I guess Sweetie Belle isn't here. Guess I'll go look somewhere else huh". Walking out from the family room, he smirked to himself.

Sweetie peeked her head out, as she could hear no sign of Jack as she climbed out from under. "Heh heh, I sure fooled him" she giggled to herself pleased.

"Did you really" Jack asked aloud, as he had doubled back and went through another entrance as he ended up behind the giggling unicorn.

"EEK" Sweetie gasped laughing, as she turned and trotted in the other direction, but not quickly enough as she felt Jack tap her tail before rushing past her. "Heeeeeeeey" she called out in a sing-song voice; as she turned around and trotted after Jack; not about to let him get away from her so easily!

"Too slow Sweetie" he called back, hoping to encourage her to move faster as he glanced over his shoulders as he rushed through the sisters homes. Seeing her face scrunch up with determination, he smiled to himself as he turned around and gasped as he spotted a doorway on the side. Throwing himself into another room, he hugged himself against the wall as he heard Sweetie belle charge past him; as he rolled his eyes in amusement. "Heh heh, pretty good try Sweetie Belle, but I'm afraid your too slow" he chuckled as he slowly stepped out into the hall.

"Am not" Sweetie grinned, as she tackled him from above? Giggling as she made Jack fall down, she trotted away from him laughing in her brief victory of overpowering the mighty human!

"That so" Jack commented casually, as he got back up and rushed after her as he heard her rush upstairs. Up the stairs, Jack found himself in a long hall with multiple doors that led to different rooms. Eyeing each one carefully, he mused to himself "Hmmm..where did she go..". Opening one door, he found a room filled with diamonds! "Nope, not their". Opening another, he found Sweetie Belles room as he looked around.

Closing the door, he turned around as suddenly something small tackled him and started to tickle his sides; forcing a laugh out of him. "He..hehe..no..nu..not..haha..not fau..fai..heheh" he struggled to get out, but was unable to complete the sentence from how hard he was laughing as he struggled for freedom. Despite his tough guy persona, it seemed to disappear when he in such a good mood as he wondered to himself if he could escape. "Pu..Pleaase" he gasped out, as suddenly it stopped. Sitting up, he rubbed his head as he stared at Sweetie Belle.

"You said please" She grinned, knowing she had basically beat him. Smirking as she hopped off his chest, as she thought on how much fun she had; she smirked "Well, Id best not keep ya. Rarity's probably wondering where you went" she giggled lightly, as she rushed out of the room.

Jack could have sworn as he saw Sweetie Belle leave, that she giggled at the mention of Raritys name as she looked at him. "Huh, what was that about" Jack thought to himself ideally as he shrugged casually; not really thinking much on it. Getting back up, he decided to at least take a look around before heading back. Stopping at a family portrait, he examined a pic that showed the two sisters with their mother, and father. "Heh, least you two had both your folks" he observed.

"Hmmm..abit crude perhaps, yet seem's to scream "rebel" so that does seem good I guess" Rarity said to herself as she looked carefully over the leather jacket. The dark green coloring did seem really good, and on the back she had stitched together what looked like a red fireball to help mix with the green. She thought it would be nice to show abit of what Jack was capable of in an artistic form, so although no pony but her friends would know of his powers at least till he was comfortable to tell every pony, at least it would show something.

Hearing Jack approach, Rarity grinned to herself as she suddenly pictured Jack once more. _Jack standing on the beach, in the surf with red trunks as he turned around; his hair long like a mane as he gave her a cocky grin. "Rarity my dear, you certainly look lovely today" he smirked seductively to her._

"Oh thank, you look quiet handsome yourself" she grinned aloud, her mind still in another place as Jack stood in front of her, a weird expression on his face as he raised a brow.

"Uhh, thanks. I guess" The human responded abit weirded out from the out of nowhere compliment. He had gotten a lot of compliments from these ponies, but handsome was a new one.

Suddenly realizing where she was, Rarity's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "Oh my stars! I'm so sorry Jack! I was thinking of something else entirely different" she stammered, trying to regain her usual demeanor as she her eyes averted left and right, as she tried desperately to think of something as she decided to go for a lie. "I was ummm..thinking of hoe handsome looking Prince…Blueblood is" she grinned with a shaky voice, her dislike for that stuck up, snob almost breaking her lie.

Luckily, Jack didn't catch it as he shrugged "Ahh, kay. Anyway, wher..". Spotting the jacket, he rushed over next to it as he looked over it with a mixture of awe and amazement. "Whooaaa. Cool" Jack mused, clearly impressed by Raritys mad skills. Smirking, he turned back to face her as he complimented "This looks really good". Slipping the jacket over his body, he sighed as it felt both comfortable and not restricting at all. "Comfortable as well" Jack nodded, as he smiled "You outdid yourself Rarity". Sighing, he said "I'm sorry I guess for being too judgmental about the whole rich things, its narrow minded of me". It wasn't right for him to say all rich ponies were snobs.

"Here I thought you didn't make mistakes" Rarity joked lightly, earning a chuckle back from Jack as she nodded "It's alright Jack".

"When it comes to outfits, I can see none can rival ya" Jack smirked to himself.

Rarity blushed as she smiled "Oh thank you Jack. That means a lot to me". Realizing she was looking away again, she muttered "Dear Celestia look at me. Not able to look at Jack, and giggling inside like a school filly". Shaking her head to try and ignore how things were, she turned back to Jack as she said "Well, we just need to send this prototype and see if it gets accepted by Fancy pants". Hearing a knock on the door, she grinned to herself "Right on time, Jack could you get the door please". Wrapping the jacket in a box, she handed it to Jack.

"Sure" Jack responded as he walked over, and swung it open; finding himself staring at the blonde Pegasus with the silly eyes again as he said "Hey, I remember you…you're the pony who shoved that muffin into my mouth".

Derpy let out a goofy laugh, as she flew around Jack saying "You humans are reaaaly tall", as she had a mail satchel wrapped around her body. Noticing the box Jack was holding, Derpy took it as she placed it in her satchel. Grinning, she reached into her satchel as she removed a muffin. "Want one" she asked cheerfully.

"Thanks" Jack responded, not understand the Pegasus one bit as he watched her fly away at…high speed! "Holy shi..that was fast" he mused as he said "How's she..". Blinking, he said "No, on the other hand I don't wanna know". Approaching Rarity, Jack complimented "Well, I gotta say that this was it. I'm friends with everyone again". One would think he'd be jumping for joy over something like this, but inside he was since externally; he kept his face neutral.

Rarity grinned "Jack, why do you have to always put on a macho façade when you think you've shown too much". She could see he was happy, and yet was keeping himself reserved.

"Cause I'm insecure about showing my emotions, and cover them up at times with a wall of testosterone" Jack responded bluntly, with a hint of sarcasm. As he turned away, he froze as he said "Well, thanks for having me over. Let me know how the jacket thing goes alright". Turning back to face Rarity, he decided to be the one to make the first move as he offered her a hug as he felt her wrap her hooves around his _**waist**_ and pull him in close.

"MMmm" she smiled happily, as she fantasied abit more as she hugged him. They had done it! They had all regain Jacks friendship, and now Rarity could possibly develop a romantic one with him. Though, she had to make it known she harbored such feelings to Jack, and she had to build it up before even telling him she had feelings. And even if she did get that far, would Jack return her feelings.

"Regain their friendship? Pfft, doesn't matter now" Sid snorted, as he stared down into the pool of cola he had created over the pool of water in the cave. Letting out a tired sigh, he shook his head "Using my magic in such manners takes energy from me, and without my full potential; I can't bring some more fun to this boring, logical world" Sid pouted as he sat down, cross legged as he rolled his eyes.

Removing the vial of Hearts desire, he muttered "It really does blow that it'll take time for the effects to bring back what I desire most, if it was instantaneous; then ponies would shape shift, dogs would meow whilst cats barked, and Fastball would become Screwball again". Sighing, he remarked "Oh well, If time is what's needed, then I'll have to be patient. Not one of my strong points sadly".

Removing the cork, he slowly poured the pink liquid down his throat, it burned like a fine wine as the euphoric feelings of magic slowly began to brew within him once more. Already, he could feel his powers slowly, but surly returning. Licking his lips, as his eyes flashed red with mischief as he decided to test something. Closing his eyes, he opened them as the creature reached up and touched a set of mismatched horns, as they vanished as fast as they had appeared.

"How irrational" Sid sneered lightly, licking his lips with anticipation as he would wait..for now.

_**Whew, finished. Its getting harder to write chapters, cause of upcoming test and quizzes. If I don't post one week, or it takes longer to post then that doesn't mean that I have given up on this fanfic. I'll do my best to muddle through ^_^ Till next week. **_


	14. Chapter 14

_**My little pony: The Urchin and the Princess**_

_**Disclaimer: Thanks to Antrxx, Golden COG Dignity, furycutter, Fan Boy 101, Hanzo of the Salamander 2.0, and brony14 and every other consistent reviewer! You bronies rock! Now onto what ponies have been waiting for: More of Jack and Rarity. **_

_**Chapter 14: Ponyvilles new hero? Part 1**_

It has been about a month since Jack has been in Equestria. Slowly, but surly he has adjusted to life in ponyville, and his friendship with the mane six has been going pretty good. During a visit with the princesses, he discovered that there was indeed as way to go home through the princess's magic. Jack however, it seems was rather content in staying in ponyville since..well he was happier here, then he had ever been before. HE had friends, a nice place to live, ponies that cared about him, and he was abit of a local legend now with how he had been helping out?

He hadn't seen Sid a whole lot lately, and whenever he did; he would usually pop in for a quick chat to ask him what's going on and the occasional harmless prank, but nothing to serious. That was strange since Sid was usually a lot more active when he was around Jack, yet he seemed..reserved. "Meh, it's probably nothing" Jack shrugged.

"Yup, things are going swimmingly" Jack said with a smirk as he gently tossed up and down the diamond from his heist. Speaking of which, what was he gonna do with this thing now? Since he wasn't going back, was their even a point to keeping this thing? He was gonna use it to buy himself a mansion…wait, maybe he could buy one here? Yah, he could..but that would mean moving away from his friends..unless he had one built! Wait, where would he eat meat? Now that he thought of it, he'd have to make major changes in his life to live here.

As he lay back on a branch in a tree, he glanced down at the park below at the ponies that played as he shrugged casually in response. After finishing up his training for the day with Rainbow Dash, he had decided to take a rest and just ponder on what he should do for the day? All those important things, like how he would live down here and such; he'd figure all that out later. Letting out a yawn, he was about to drift to sleep when…

"EEK, SOMEPONY HELP!

A cry for help snapped Jack out of his sleep, as he looked around for the source of trouble. Spotting a baby carriage heading towards the edge of a cliff, Jack gasped as he could see Rainbow Dash already flying toward it. Hopping down from the tree branch; Jack rushed towards some of the playground equipment. Running up the slide he leaped off of it, towards the hill. Catching up next to Rainbow Dash, he called "Trouble"?

"Yah! Let's do it" Dash grinned, as she turned back to rescue the baby when suddenly…

WOOSH!

Something flew past the two of them at high speed, almost a blur at how fast it was flying. Its wing soared under Jacks feet, causing Jack to trip and go into a roll as he started rolling downhill. The blur stopped in front of the carriage as it carried it up in front of Rainbow Dash, shocking the mare so much that she forgot about Jack for a moment.

It was a colt, probably about Dashes age. His mane was in the style of a red cut Mohawk, his eyes shaded behind some black sunglasses. His pelt coloring was a dark orange, as his tail was styled into a zigzagging pattern. His cutie mark was a golden medal that seemed rusted. The colt smirked "Here ya go, glory for every pony huh" he asked Rainbow Dash, arrogance dripping from his voice as he sounded about heroic as a stuck up, jerk.

Dash however failed to notice this, as she had been greatly impressed by this ponies speed as he had come in outta nowhere and helped her and Jack save the baby. "W…wows! Now that was fast! Thanks for the hoof" Dash grinned to the new pony.

The colt shrugged, as he remarked "No big deal for Ace Guile". Hearing a cheer from the crowd below, Ace glanced down as he flexed his arms casually before flying off to help more.

"Wow, he sure was something huh Jack…Jack" Rainbow asked, as she suddenly remembered where he had gone. Flying over to bottom of the hill, she was surprised to see Jack had accidentally landed in a trash pile that was being cleaned up. "Ooo, sorry Jack" Dash smiled sheepishly, embarrassed that she had been so caught up in admiring the new pony that she had forgotten about her friend. She was the best yeah, but she also had a respect for others that could keep up with her like Jack..and this Ace!

Jack sat up, his mind still in a turmoil as he sniffed the air. His face twisted into an expression of disgust as he grunted "Eccch, smells". Holding his nose with one hand, Jack shot Dash a glare as he accused "That jerk came outta nowhere and tripped me with one of his wings".

"Aw, I'm sure it was an accident" Rainbow Dash smiled, as she looked away stating "Wonder if he'd like to train". She didn't know why, she was becoming so interested in Ace since she had just met him, but perhaps is had something to do with that they were both athletes?

Climbing outta the trash, Jack grumbled "Man, I really liked theses clothes. Hey Dash, do you think you could get a rain cloud an…". Freezing, his eyes shifted to the left, and then to the right as he came to the conclusion on his own. Looking up, he could see no sign of Rainbow Dash anywhere. "Where'd she go" Jack asked himself, as he rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Oh great" Jack grumbled to himself.

Abit later, Jack was emerging from a lake after taking a dip into it to rid himself of the stench, as he slapped the side of his head to get the water out of his ear. After he dried himself off and got redressed, he smiled "Well, I feel better now". Walking back towards the park, he thought "Wonder what I should do next today? Maybe I should go see Twilight, haven't seen her in abit…".

Jack froze as he found himself staring up at a rather..unusual statue in the middle of the park. It had an almost horse-like head, with a deer antler on the right, a goat horn on the left, one long fang, different-sized pupils, a snake tongue, and a beard. It right arm was a lions, the left one an eagle. Its right leg was a lizard, and it's left a goats leg. In addition, he has a bat's right wing, a Pegasus' left wing, and a snake's tail. The expression on the creatures face was…terror? Like the last thing it had seen was so horrifying, that his face froze in the form of horror.

"What a weird ass looking thing" Jack commented aloud, as he scratched the back of its head. Approaching the statue, Jack tapped it gently with closed knuckle as he noted how hard the statue was. It didn't even feel like a statue, more like some sort of coating. "Hmm, it's got all sorts of different body parts..kinda like a umm..a..a chimera" he voiced, remembering something like that form back home.

Rubbing his chin, he looked down at the implemented sign. "Discord, god of chaos" Jack mumbled, as he stared back up at the statue as he felt…disturbed for some reason. Turning away from the statue, he muttered "Anyway, I think I'll go see Twilight".

As he approached the library, he could see a stand of some kind set up in front of it, Twilight behind the stand as she looked around eagerly for some pony to approach. There were multiple vials of blue liquid on her table, the sign "FREE" next to the stand. Looking up at the sign above her stand, he thought "Twilights Vigorous potency's"? Another experiment? "Hopefully, it won't de-masculine me" he chuckled to himself. Walking up, he waved "Sup Twilight".

"Oh, greetings Jack" Twilight smiled warmly as she waved to her friend. Pleased by his appearance, she asked "I'm just trying out some more experiments. I wanted to see if I could create a potion that could give a pony the strength and speed of a full grown dragon" she grinned, as she noted the excited look on Jacks face. "Sadly, the effects are only temporary since when I attempted to increase the volatile so it could be permanent; sadly canceled out the effects entirely".

"Any side effects" Jack questioned, as he picked up a vial as he noted it gave off a blue hue as he shook it gently, watching the bubbles within the liquid move around rapidly.

"Well, some side effects that I was able to figure out where that it enhances the emotions, or feelings of whoever drinks it. What emotions it enhances, I'm uncertain of as of now. It also seems to provide a bundle of energy, sorta on par with Pinkies energy" Twilight explained.

"Uhhh, alright..I'll give it a shot" Jack shrugged as he took the vial and started to chug it down, finding the taste rather satisfying. As the last bit of the potion made its way down his throat, Jack sighed as he remarked "That was rather tasty! Kinda like a..huh". Feeling a strange sensation in his belly, his face went red for a moment as he put a hand to his mouth; bile rising up and forming as he suddenly felt incredibly sick. Looking around rapidly for somewhere to throw up, he spotted a bush as he dove into it and let loose some chunks.

Twilight flinched, as her face twisted to slight disgust at what she heard as she saw a staggering Jack, approach moments later as he wiped his mouth. "Oh dear…" Twilight blinked as she quickly went through her books, zipping through to see what went wrong. "Ohh, ahh..I think it reacted in such a way because I made it for ponies only, ahh..and not humans" Twilight blushed in embarrassment as she apologized "Sorry Jack".

"Uggh, its…ugg..cool" Jack remarked, as he shook his head to try and get rid of the headache the potion was bringing. A flash whirled by him, as suddenly the hero pony from before; Ace Guile stood in front of Twilights stand as he was staring at her potions with curiosity.

"Ahh, doing some experiments for this fair town" Ace asked with a faux smile.

"Oh, you're the new pony right? The one who saved that foal! I'm Twilight Sparkle, and yes I'm testing a new strength gaining potion" Twilight greeted cheerfully, in slight awe of this hero pony.

Ace turned around, as he stared at Jack; who stared back at him. Looking Jack up and down, Ace huffed slightly to where only Jack could see; as if to say "I'm not really impressed". Turning back to Twilight, he smiled dashingly "Well then, what's say I give it a shot? I'm sure that a potion crafted by Twilight Sparkles is a raging success". Seeing her blush in response, he grinned as he carefully picked up the vial as he examined the blue liquid carefully. Shrugging, Ace gulped it down as he wiped his lips gently.

Twilight blinked as in that blink, Ace had vanished and was already five stories in in the span of two seconds. "WOoooooww, it works" Twilight grinned in response, forgetting bout Jack for the moment as she immediately wrote down the results of her potion. It had worked so well for this hero pony!

"Well, it's no big deal for some pony like me" Ace smirked, as he landed next to Twilight, the wind that was created from his wings accidentally splashing mud onto Jacks cheeks from a nearby mud pile.

"Gah, Jerk" Jack spat at the hero, already finding himself disliking this hot shot!

"Jack, I'm sure he didn't mean it" Twilight scolded as she stared at the medallion that the pony wore around his chest, which seemed to be a star with a multitude of colors that almost seemed to be..moving.

Ace flew in front of Jack, as he apologized "Oh, I am so terribly sorry my good sir! I was not looking where I was going. Can you forgive me? Sometimes I get abit overexcited, though it's not surprising for some pony like me"? With that, the hero pony bowed his head gently to Jack ; a slow smirk etching on the colts face as it was unknown whether or not that this pony truly ment his sorry.

Jack however, wanted to appear forgiving so he waved his hand dismissively "Its cool" Jack responded as he shook the ponies hoof, fighting the urge to roll his eyes as he muttered softly "Real tough pony, hot shot huh? You won't be so glib once I ram my foot up your ass". Smiling fakly to the pony, he blinked as he was gone five seconds later as he glanced up into the skies to see a after image of him leaving. "I don't know if I like this new pony" Jack blunted stated to Twilight.

"Oh don't worry too much about him Jack, I'm sure that he's a perfectly nice pony who didn't mean to spray mud in your face. He was just abit overeager is all" Jack mocked in a high pitch voice to imitate Twilights, as he spat on the ground in heavy annoyance. Something about this new pony rubbed him the wrong way, he didn't know why. Ace just happened to show up when that foal was in trouble, and he had just happened to show up to test out Twilights new potion.

As he was heading to see Pinkie Pie, passing through the market he admitted "Then again, maybe I'm being too harsh. He did save some pony, and he did help Twilights potion. Maybe I outage cut him a little slack". He shouldn't judge the pony if he was heroic in some manners. Staring up, he spotted Pinkie Pie as he noticed her shopping at a candy stand. "What a surprise" Jack chuckled with a roll of his eyes.

"Hiya Jack! It's so awesome to see you here! What are you doing here? Are you shopping as well? I was just trotting along, minding my own when I thought "Mmm, I feel really hungry". So, I decided to go out and by myself a really sugary snack to help my appetite" Pinkie babbled on cheerfully at high speed, as she grinned.

"Heh, what's up Pinkie" Jack responded casually as he turned to a stand and picked out a donut. A small side of him was wishing that stands sold meat, like hamburgers. He had gone about a month now without eating meat, so he supposed that there was protein somewhere in the food he had been eating, so he wouldn't get weak. As he pictured a burger in his mind; his mouth drooled slightly at the thought of a cooked burger between two thick buns, lettuce and tomato with ketchup as he sunk his teeth into the succulent meat.

"Jack? Why are you drooling" Pinkie asked curiously, noting that Jack's eyes seemed to indicate that he was in another place entirely different. She had to admit he looked pretty silly doing that with his eyes!

Coming back to reality, Jack smiled sheepishly as he blushed "Ahh, well sorry about that. I was just umm..thinking of some food from back home". He didn't know exactly how the ponies would react if he admitted that he ate meat so he didn't tell them that.

"Well, it's good to see your out and about, enjoying yourself Jack" an eloquent voice spoke as it snapped Jack outta his thoughts. Whirling around, he spotted Rarity as she made her way through the crowd; batting her eyes at him as always for some reason. "You've been hearing about this new pony yes Jack" Rarity asked curiously.

Jack had to resist the urge to roll his eyes in anger at the thought of that…sigh, he nodded in response as he said "I don't really know what to make of him. He seems to show up kinda conveniently whenever these accidents happen. Plus, I sort seem to end up being pushed aside whenever I try and go to help. First with Rainbow Dash, and then with Twilight he came and showed me up".

"Now Jack, isn't that being abit judgmental" Rarity questioned with a raised brow. She was abit surpassed with Jack, since she and the rest of ponyville gave him a warm welcome when Jack first came to this town. She sorta expected him to do the same for the new pony.

"Not unless its true" Jack shot back, as he shook his head. "I don't know, there's just something about him that rubs me the wrong way. I don't mean for it to be that way, but he seems kinda fake. A lot like those super, popular jocks from back home that in front of a crowd looks like everyone's hero, when in reality he's nothing more than a fake jerk". Shaking his head, he smiled "But enough of that, what are you doing here"?

"Shopping" Rarity started to explain when she noted the goofy look on Jacks face as Pinkie had brought up food again, and he seemed to be thinking of

"OOooo, cmon! Tell me, tell me, tell me" she asked insistently as the hyperactive pony hopped up and down excitedly; wanting to find out more and more about Jack's old life.

Before Jack could respond, he froze as he heard the distinct sound of wood breaking, as his eyes averted around to the source of the noise. Sighting a rather large stall that seemed to tower over all the others, he gasped as he could see that it was about to fall down on Pinkie Pie. On the stand of the stall were barrels, as they came falling down and forcing Jack to dive aside, and to do his best to avoid being struck and yet this proved useless as one open barrel filed with fruit punch landed on top of Jack, sending him onto his back as he struggled to get the barrel off his head.

Something as fast as a bullet flew underneath the falling stand, conviction in his eyes as he held his back up against the stand to keep it from falling on Pinkie Pie, as with his increased strength; kept the stall up.

For a moment it seemed like that Pinkie had been crushed by the stall, as a collective gasp emerged from the crowd who witnessed this accident. However, it seemed that this was not the case as Pinkie blinked as she looked up, and smiled to see Ace Guile holding up the stand with his back; the effects from the potion earlier still working as he smirked "You alright"?

"WOooooow! That! Was! AWESOME" Pinkie grinned widely as the colt waited for Pinkie to step back before the stand fell, as the crowd of ponies approached, some of them cheering for this colt as he flexed his muscles as a certain, drenched human managed to life the barrel of juice off of him.

"Brr.." Jack shivered heavily as the sweet scent of juice sunk into his hair, as he shook it widely to try and get the drink outta it. Spotting the heroic colt, Jack grinded his teeth in anger, hissing as his hands clenched into fist as he squeezed his knuckles so hard that it started to ache; as his hands burst into flames as for a moment he looked like he was going to launch himself at this arrogant pony in an attempt to teach him lesson. However, as he noticed the cheering ponies; he sighed in response as he forced himself to his feet; dusting himself off as the flames vanished from his fist.

"Thank you, Thank you. No autographs please, always happy to help" smirked Ace, as he waved to all the cheering ponies; glad that he was able to help yet another pony in peril.

Rarity stared at this pony in awe, as she tapped him on the back of his shoulder, getting his attention. "That was incredible dear sir, I must offer you my congratulations" Rarity grinned happily at this pony, amazed by his wondrous feet of heroism.

Ace raised a brow, giving Rarity a suave smile as he politely took Rarity's hoof as he gave it a gently kiss, slowly staring up at Rarity as he batted an eye. "Happy to help out" Ace smirked at Rarity, inciting a blush from her.

"_SCUMBAG"_ Jack thought seething at the sight of this pompous, fake bastard kissing Rarity's hoof. If he thought about it for a moment, he'd wonder why he was getting upset over that. Maybe it was because he didn't want any of his friends to become friends with someone like him, or maybe Jack just really hated the look he was giving Rarity..also a weird thing to wonder; why would he care about how someone looked at her? Either way, he was pissed as he pushed himself through he crowd of ponies as he stomped right up in front of Ace; knuckles clenched as he spat "Alright hot shot, that's enough" Jack spat at him.

Ace blinked as he seemed to for a moment feign surprise, as he placed a hoof up to his mouth in shock as he looked Jack up and down as he took in his appearance, noting how he was soaking wet with fruit punch. "Oh sir, I am so sor" he started to apologize.

"Shut it" Jack interrupted rudely, finding this pony's almost condescending manner infuriating.

"Jack, that was very rude" Rarity protested, surprised by his sudden hostility.

"Not rude enough I'd say, this is the third time I've been showed up by this jerk and he's really pissing me off" Jack spat at the hero pony, locking his glare with the ponies surprised stare.

Ace's expression shifted to hurt, as he looked down with guilt. "Well sir, I must say I don't know how or even why but…I am truly sorry that I have hurt you. I was merely doing what I love, helping other and I had no idea that you would be offended by such things". Bowing his head to Jack, he remarked with… "I am truly sorry. I will make an effort to not offend or make a mockery of you anymore. Can you forgive me"?

"You see Jack, he's sorry. He didn't mean those things" Rarity insisted to Jack, believing Ace's sincere apology as she felt that Ace shouldn't be the one apologizing with how gracious he was acting.

"Yeah Jack, no need to be a " Pinkie piped in.

Perhaps if he was cool headed, he might have accepted the pony's apology. Heck, he would probably have apologized for actin like a dick. Yet in his stubborn, agitated state; Jack stubbornly crossed his arms as he snorted "No".

"I'm surprised with you Jack" Rarity huffed as she trotted past him and pointed to Ace. "He just gave you a heart felled apology and you're not even going to accept it? I thought you were better than that". Her disappointed tone, caused her to turn away as she spoke to Ace. "Are you alright" she asked with concern.

The colt nodded in return as he said "I will be okay, I just hope one day Jack can forgive me" Ace nodded as he watched as most of the crowd was looking at Jack with a mixture of disgust and shock as they silently started to turn away from the human. Turning away himself, he had to fight the urge to smirk at the human as he went on his way.

"R..rarity? Pinkie Pie" Jack insisted, as he watched the two leave without a word as they didn't even look at him, both of them disappointed in his irrational behavior. Guilt etched onto his face, as he lowered his head in defeat; grumbling to himself as he started walking towards the outskirts of town. He couldn't believe how rotten that had just gone. He had let his anger get the best of him, and now Rarity and Pinkie were both peeved with him.

"Shoot" he muttered to himself.

"I just can't believe Jack" Rarity spoke to Pinkie, as the two left the market. Rarity had been heading into town, because she wanted to get some shopping done when she saw Jack. She was surprised, and wanted to spend some time with him. Then, he completely blew his top and acted like a real jerk to Ace, who had just saved Pinkies life! Jack should have been grateful, that his friend had been saved and yet he went and did that!

"I wonder what got Jack so hot under the collar? I mean, I know Jack can have a short fuse, which can cause him to be a meanie at times; but I don't get why he acted that way" Pinkie questioned, a curious look on her face.

"Hmph, I know what it is. It's nothing more than Jacks macho façade" Rarity huffed as she was extremely disappointed by Jacks behavior. Crossing her arms, she remarked "Jack feels threated by this new pony because he wants to remain in the spot light, and doesn't like that Ace is the one who is saving the day, and helping out ponies now. Jack therefore acts like this, because he feels that he should be the only saving others". Sighing, a small part of her disagreed. Her rational side told that Jack was better than that, that he wouldn't stop to such mean spiritedness. Yet, she was too emotional at the time to think rationally.

"Hmm, maybe that's the case with Jack. I really hope it's not though because things have been goin really, really well for him here" Pinkie responded, as she thought to herself. Perhaps all Jack needed was a party to help cheer him up, and erase all that mean, nasty anger! But wouldn't that be encouraging him to continue acting like how he did earlier? It would be sending the wrong message. "What do you think we should do Rarity" Pinkie asked curiously.

"Hope that Jack comes to realize how he's acting, and apologize for it. Otherwise, we'll have to show him that he's wrong to act such a way" Rarity sighed, looking up sadly. She and Jack had been hanging out a lot lately, and she had hoped that he would get some of her hints that she was attracted to her. But either he was choosing to ignore these hints, or he was really ignorant about them. Now, she wasn't sure how to feel…

"Hmmm, maybe I should leave town for abit. Cool my head down, before coming back" Jack grumbled to himself as he put a hand to his chin. As he continued towards the outskirts of Ponyville, his eyes down casted he continued to muttered softly to himself on how much he hated Ace! It really pissed him off that, the smug, jerk could just go around acting like everybody hero. "Is that because that's your job" A side of him asked, wondering if he was acting this way because of some macho thing, or because he hated how everyone the pony was around; that he would end up humiliated in some manner.

"Well, well, well look what we have here dear brother" An extravagant voice sung out cheerfully, snapping Jack out of his thoughts as he looked up quickly for the source of the voice. Blinking, he noticed a really large stand; with what looked like was covered with merchandise, food, and drinks.

Behind the stand were two tall unicorn stallions. Both of their manes were a bright red, eyes a dark green, their pelts a paleish yellow. They both were striped blue and white vest, with black bow ties and what looked like straw hats. The cutie marks on them appeared to be a half of an apple. One of them with mustache, approached Jack as he looked the human up and down with a focused expression as if he was observing the human carefully. "Hmmm, well now that is most certainly a shame" the pony sighed with disappointment.

"What? What is" Jack asked, not liking this guy being all up in his space.

"That you are lacking our one of a kind, limited Ace Guile, hero pin. " The pony grinned as he patched a pin of the heroic pony on Jack's shirt, a cheesy grin on the hero's face as a word bubble was above him, stating "Number one"! Apparently these two ponies were selling products based off the guy, which only further increased Jack's jealous hatred of him.

Jack glared up silent at the sales pony, as he plucked the pin off of his shirt and tossed it aside; not wanting anything of that jerk pony on him. "No thanks" grunted Jack, as he crossed his arms. He didn't like these guys. Something about them just screamed off. "I'm surprised you two aren't questioning about what I am, or even where I came from" Jack snorted since that's what alotta ponies who didn't live in ponyville seemed to ask him.

"Oh well sir, we have kept our ears open for any and all valuable information. So we can keep up with the latest news, so to speak" The other pony smiled cheesily as he stepped up in front of Jack. "I wish to say that it is an honor to make your acquaintance Jack, as we have never met a human before in our travels. Such rare, and exotic creatures indeed" the pony remarked, as he stuck out a hoof.

"I am Flim" he introduced himself.

"And I am Flam" the other one spoke.

"And together, we are the famous Flim Flam brothers" the two spoke in synch, bringing their front hooves up to emphasize on the brothers part. "We are traveling sales ponies, going from one part of Equestria to the next selling our quality, one of a kind merchandise" Flim explained with a grin as he pointed to his vast assortment of items. "Is there anything here that is of interest to you, fine sir" he questioned.

A question popped into Jacks mind as he said "Wait, if your sales ponies; then why aren't you in town right now"? Seeing them suddenly look nervous, he questioned "Ahh, its just wouldn't it make more sense to be selling your merchandise in town with customers all over".

"Ahh, well we did sell them earlier. We were just merely heading towards the next town, but we decided to set up shop for abit for any pony who decided to come this way" Flam explained nervously, as he watched Jack glanced away for a moment. Blinking, Flam stared as his eye widened at the necklace around Jacks neck, as well as what looked like something shinny coming from his pocket.

Flim noticed it as well, as sneaky smirk coming across his face as he smiled "Well then young fellow, tell you what! Are you hungry"?

Realizing the only thing he had eaten all day was a donut, Jack nodded as he was distracted by the thought of food. "Well yeah I guess, I haven't eaten in a while". As he pondered with his back turned, Flim and Flam set up a dart board on the stand.

"Well it's your lucky day! If you can land the dart within the ring, we we'll give you a succulent, rare, lollipop" Flam announced like a spokesmen as he reached behind the counter of the stand, and removed an almost glowing blue lollipop to show the human.

Jack had to admit it did look good, and he did like the idea of a challenge; even if it was an easy one, so he nodded "Uhh, sure I guess". When Flam approached him, Jack asked "What are yo..whooAooAAAAooAAAA". Jack was then spun around at high speed in place as he heard Flam call. "It can't be too easy to win, otherwise where's the fun in that. He could have sworn he felt something brush up against him as he spun, but shrugged it off.

Stopping, Jack rubbed his head to see that the world was spinning and suddenly the target wasn't so easy to hit. Still, that wasn't gonna get him all discouraged. Aiming with an eye closed, he leaned back and gave it a toss as the dart sunk barley into the rim of the board rather than outside of it.

"What do you know" Jack smirked as his vision slowly got better. Clearly even dizzy he had mad skills, let's see Ace pull something like that off.

"DING DING DING, we have a winner" Flim laughed as he handed the lollipop to Jack; watching as immediately the human started to eat, clearly hungry from today's events. Watching as the human went to leave, Flim waved "Come back anytime good sir! And remember, you're a winner in our book"! The two continued to laugh cheerfully, as Jack walked out of sight. As soon as he was gone, Flim turned to his brother as with a sneak smirk; held up Jack's necklace in one hoof; admiring it's value. "I'd say he's not the only winner, eh dear brother" Flim remarked.

Flam smirked back, as he held up the diamond that Jack had been holding onto ever since he had stolen it, as he grinned "Winners indeed brother". As out from the shadows to join the two snickering brothers, Ace sneered at the departing human.

_**Oh boy, what will happen next? Find out next week! Well, first test are coming up next week so my updating might be slower than usual. But here's hoping I make it in time next week! See ya next time! Please Read and review **_


	15. Chapter 15

_**My little pony: The Urchin and the Princess**_

_**Disclaimer: Thanks to Antrxx, Golden COG Dignity, furycutter, Fan Boy 101, Hanzo of the Salamander 2.0, and brony14 and every other consistent reviewer! You bronies rock! Now onto what ponies have been waiting for: More of Jack and Rarity. **_

_**Chapter 15: Ponyvilles new hero? Part 2**_

"Hmmm, I should go find him and apologize" Jack muttered with a shrug. After all, wouldn't that make him the bigger man? He usually wasn't the one to apologize, since he felt that Ace had been stealing his…sigh. See, right their! He was admitting that he had a problem with Ace simply because the pony was going around saving others. Shouldn't he have respect for that? Sighing, he casually wondered what his dad would do in this situation. In a way, Jack took a lot after him. Dad had been proud, strong, and was a serious joker. He knew went to be serious yeah, but it was difficult to ever get a straight answer outta him.

As he entered town, he sighed as he muttered "Although a joker, he had integrity and…would probably apologize to Rarity if he was me…". Groaning, he really didn't want to apologize since it would be admitting that he was wrong. Maybe he was wrong, and just because Ace was saving others didn't mean that he himself had to like it.

His eyes shot up into the sky as he spotted Ace flying around, his eyes glaring down as he was looking for something. Staring down at a carriage with passengers, being pulled through town at high speed; glanced down at a foal that was playing with a hula hoop on the side of the road. Jack watched as Ace put a hoof to his chin, as if deep in thought as he flew down behind a building near the child.

"That looks suspicious" Jack stated as he narrowed his eyes at where the pony had gone off too. Completely forgetting about the fact that he was trying to be more understanding, Jack rushed past others as he dove behind a tree near the road; staring out at the building where Ace had ducked down behind. Something was telling him that Ace was up to something. Watching silently as Ace snuck up behind the foal, which was oblivious to his surroundings; Ace's eyes averted to the left and then to the right as if making sure that no pony was watching.

"What the heck is he doing" Jack grumbled to himself, placing a hand to his chin, His mouth dropped in shock as he watched Ace give the foal a nudge right into the oncoming path of the carriage.

The drivers gasped in fear at the sight of this, as they attempted to stop in order to stop from hitting the foal as suddenly something dove and grabbed the foal, getting him outta harms safety! The carriage rushed by as the residents who had watched Ace in action, gasped as Ace shot a victorious grin as he placed the foal around his neck; pumping his hooves into the air as the crowd cheered that he had saved the child.

Jack on the other hand, was seething with anger at what he had just seen. "I don't believe it, that low lie son of a bitch" He swore, angry that he hadn't seen it before! Ace had set up that little disaster! That meant that he musta set up all those other ones! He always did seem to be around to save the day when a problem happened, and he always seemed to be around in time to show Jack up.

"Oh you are so goi…" Jack had stated to declare as he started to come out of hiding when he froze. No one else but him had seen what Ace had really done, so if he went up their then no one was gonna believe him. He would just appear bitter and angry that he hadn't been the one doing the saving! Glaring, he muttered "You'll pay for this you jerk". He had been setting all those issues up the whole time, and Jack had no idea that he had been doing it! Sighing, he thought about going to one of his friends but decided against it. After all, they wouldn't help him if he just told them since Rarity and Pinkie probably told them about how he acted like a jerk.

"Maybe I should consult dad, he never steered me wrong before" Jack thought to himself as he shook his head in amusement; attempting to keep himself in good spirits.

Reaching up to take a look at his old picture, he froze as he felt nothing hanging around his neck. Looking down, his eyes widened in terror as he realized that his necklace was missing. "Where is it" he demanded in fear, searching all over his person to discover where it had gone. Frantically searching, he said "Pockets, no! Hoodie, no! Shoe..oh c'mon, where is it"! Putting a hand to his head, he said "Oh c'mon, think dude. Think, think, think"! He couldn't have lost it! It was all he had left of his dad!

Placing a hand into his pocket, he gasped as he realized he wasn't feeling the diamond either! "No..nonono, I can't have lost that two! That thing's gonna take me straight to the top! I need it" Jack stammered, ignoring the looks that the other ponies were giving him. "Where.." he thought as he tried to think about when he had it last. Let's see, he had last seen it when he was around those two ponies uhh, Flim and Flam. Yes, Jack didn't trust them at all since they just seemed to scream trouble and they…and they…

Putting two and two together, he snapped "THOSE BASTARDS"! Realizing every pony was staring at him, he chuckled weakly as he turned away muttering "C'mon now, don't jump to conclusions. You don't know for certain if they did steal what doesn't belong to them". But that was the last place he had seen them, where else could it have been!

"Where else could they have gone" Jack spoke to himself as he tried to think of a reasonable explanation, and yet could come up with none. His attention drawn as he watched Ace pose abit more before starting to fly away, Jacks eyes narrowed as he sneered "And where do you think your going, hero"? Watching as he started to fly towards the forest; Jack started to chase after him. Whatever plan he was up to, Jack was most certainly gonna pull the rug right out from under this little charade of his; exposing the pony as the bastard he really was.

"So where do you think he is now" Rainbow Dash asked casually, as she glanced up from her book. Daring Do was currently on an out of control mine cart and was heading towards a cliff, so it seemed that she was not gonna get outta this one. Rarity had come in, telling about how Jack was acting around the new hero and was considering asking if they work together to try and make Jack realize that he shouldn't get overly jealous of this new pony.

"I never took Jack for the jealous, star shinning type. Perhaps we should do something to help him" Rarity explained to Dash, as she stalked back and forth within her house.

"Look Rarity, I know how you feel in wanting to help Jack; but maybe its best that we leave him alone and let him figure it out on his own" Dash commented, as she glanced up briefly from her book before going back into it.

"_I fear being patient won't help since Jack really let loose today at Ace. Who knows, what if he goes to extreme lengths to get rid of Ace so that he could be the hero again" Rarity asked, as horrible images started to play within her mind. It was a bright and sunny day in Ponyville, as Ace flew over the town, a flashy grin on his face as the sun shined down on him, making his appearance much more handsome._

_Then a darkcloud started to form, as Jack was below Ace; a sister grin on his face as he was manning what looked like a mounted cannon for a moment. He aimed up at Ace, villainous intent in his eye as he then…_

"Don't you think that your exaggerating abit" Rainbow Dash asked, snapping Rarity out of her shock. Sighing, she closed her book as Dash stated "Look, Rarity. What we have here is exactly what happened with when I started being hero, and all of you became Mare-Do-well. Jack is feeling threated by his appearance since that all the attention that was once on him, will now go to Ace. We can't really do what you did to me since…well for one, none of us are human so we can't come and teach him a lesson.

Second, Jack needs to figure this out on his own; if he doesn't then he'll never be able to be a better person". When Rarity was about to argue, Dash then stated "How would you feel Rarity if somepony came and started to be a better clothes designer then you, right here in ponyville"?

Rarity looked like she wanted to argue that, as her mouth hanged open as if she was about to state she was wrong; and yet couldn't help herself as she glanced down at her hooves. "It's true…" Rarity softly spoke, as she the harder she thought about it, the less she was unable to deny it herself. "I would feel envious, threated maybe and would want to get rid of the other so I could…could". Looking up slowly, she realized she was being unfair to Jack. Rainbow Dash was right, so she shouldn't judge him so harshly. "He needs us then" Rarity thought sadly.

Dash smiled as she remarked "If Jack isn't able to figure it out on his own, then yeah we'll go and help him. I just hope that is won't come to that since he seems like he's strong enough to handle things himself".

"Oof, Ack…grr…where are you goin" Jack grumbled with heavy irritation as he continued to follow Ace; continuing to get smacked and thwacked in the face by branches and bushes as he continued to keep an eye up in the sky for the flying Pegasus. Ace flew over the Everfree forest; foresting Jack to follow from breathes. Jack pictured himself holding a slingshot, aiming up at the Pegasus with a rock in his hand as he launched the rock; smacking Ace right in the back of the skull; forcing him to fall down hard as he crashed into a lake. Laughing loudly at the image, he gasped in terror as Ace suddenly turned around; forcing him to hide behind a tree.

Ace's eyes narrowed suspiciously down at the tree's, veering left and right to catch the sight of any trouble or followers since in this profession he had chosen, he had to be careful at all times. If ever caught, he'd have to leave and find a new town and this place was really being a cash cow to him! Grinning, he turned around as he continued to fly as he thought about meeting up with his partners.

Jake peeked out, as he sighed heavily. That was way too close for comfort. Putting a hand to his head, he said "Hmmm, wait…I'm gonna need proof for when he does his saving or at least something that can discredit Ace". Reaching down to look at his phone, seeing that it around three; he froze as he suddenly realized he had what he needed. Grinning, he turned to his camera option as he laughed "Hah hah, oh your so going down for this dude".

As he took some steps forward, he gasped as suddenly he almost fell forward. Balancing on the edge of a pitfall, he gasped as he managed to throw himself backwards to prevent himself from falling into the pit. Panting, he glared up as he leaped over the pit; remarking "You're not gonna make this easy for me are ya"?

As he moved, he wondered to himself if perhaps he should shoot him down with a fireball. Yeah! He could then threaten to burn him if he didn't tell the truth that he was the one causing all of those accidents. But if he did that, then he would be no better than Ace; resorting to underhanded tactics to get his way. But heck, since when did that ever stop him before?

Glaring as he got angry, he was about to active his power when he thought of something. It would be way too easy for him to just shoot down the cocky, arrogant pony! No, when he exposed Ace as the fraud he was; he wanted it to be on even terms cause he'd be no better than Ace if he went and shot him down. Granted, there was a time where he wouldn't have thought twice on doing it; but he had at least some integrity to not stoop to Ace's level.

Wondering to himself where Ace was going, Jack started to run faster as he noticed the pony start to fly faster; aggravating the human. Looking down at his hand, he rolled his eyes thinking "What I wouldn't give for the ability to fly". Running into a clearing, Jack gasped as he dove himself back into the bushes; as he peered out at the sight before him.

A small building, maybe two stories tall stood in the center of the clearing; a huge sign on the front of it with the words "F & F", glowing in neon lighting. Behind the small building was a huge supply of odds and ends, random things like cameras, plates, lamps, clocks, mirrors, table stand and other random items.

What was the strangest thing was the fact that this building was in a spot where the trees were so thick, that in order to move all the stuff here without breaking anything; or even getting it all here to begin with; would be extremely difficult to do without damaging any of the building. The thing looked brand new!

Eyeing the structure, Jack watched as Ace flew in through the roof's skylight as he muttered "Now that isn't supposed to be here I think". How this got here, Jack had no idea. But one thing was defiantly certain; Ace was clearly up to something.

Rolling his eyes, he snorted "Well Duh". Sneaking up towards the windows, he ducked down out of sight as he slowly peeked up so he could get a view of the inside of the small looking warehouse. He could make out the silhouette of three ponies, talking but he couldn't see them very well.

Seeing a buncha crates stacked up, all with the letters: F & F, he smirked as he started to climb up the crates. Scrambling up to the top, Jack rushed over to the skylight as he peered down and let out a gasp! To see Ace Guile, conversing with Flim Flam as they all chatted around a table; cocky looks on their faces as they seemed to be praising one another.

Eyes looking down at the table, Jack's eyes narrowed in fury as he spotted his necklace and what he assumed his diamond. Grinding his teeth, Jack looked like he was about to unleash a torrent of hell fire on the ponies if he could. But instead, he decided to wait and listen.

"I must say dear brother, things are most certainly going our way" Flim laughed with excitement as he elbowed his brother cheerfully.

"Indeed Flam, ever since that mysterious creature gave us this" Flam smirked as he reached behind his back and removed what appeared to be a flash light of some sort. Shaking it gently, he muttered "Hmm, how do you work this thing again? Ahh, what did he suggest"?

"He said "Just make any wish you want, and then shine it on the spot you want" for the wish. I think he said to be careful since the magic was limited. Who knows how much is left" Flim informed his brother cautiously.

"Nonsense brother! Why, we can do anything we want now! Watch this" Flam laughed arrogantly, as he pointed at the necklace. "I wish that this was made of platinum rather than gold" he declared as he pressed the light switch. A blue hue emerged from the light, as a bright beam zapped the necklace; changing it from gold to platinum".

Jack's eyes widened in amazement at this…flash light that could somehow grant wishes! But how was this possible? How was such an amazing thing even possible? Where did they get such a thing! But probably the biggest thing on his mind was: How the hell was a flash light able to grant wishes through magic! It made..no..SENSE! Shaking his head, he glared down at the asshole who dared to mess with his necklace as he clenched his knuckles before forcing himself to calm down.

"You idiot! Don't waste its power on such a worthless thing" Ace snorted as he brushed the necklace aside with impatience, as he stuck out a hoof as if expecting something. "Hand over my share of the profits" Ace demanded in anger, not wanting to play around.

"Now now, no need to get touchy Ace" Flim tried to calm the Pegasus.

"If it wasn't for me, neither of you would be making money so easily" Ace pointed out, as he pointed over at the Ace merchandise. "Going around, saving the ponies from problems that I cause, or helping ponies out with their stupid problems is what allowed you two to sell so much product; so I want my shares! Really, I don't know why you can't just wish for bits" Ace sighed.

"Do you think we haven't tried? Look" Flam stuck out his hoof, showing a gold bit as he placed it in his mouth and bit it; bending it as he remarked "This thing can for some reason only make fool's bits, not real ones! I don't get why it can't do that" Flam sighed.

"Besides, aren't you getting abit of a big head? Why, if it wasn't for us making the offer to you in the first place of becoming this town's hero; then you wouldn't even be where you are now" Flim informed Ace, as he reached down and picked up the diamond and examined it closely. "Diamonds are common yes, but this kind. Oh, this isn't kind isn't from Equestria therefore makes it much more valuable. Once this is sold, we'll become richer then the Princesses themselves". Putting it down, he sneered "And to think all it had to take was conning that dumb human".

"Yeah, well I think we'll have to soon wrap up this little charade! That human is getting wise to us" Ace informed the two, as he failed to notice the human above putting his phone away.

"With the picture I got, I just need to show it to the Mayor. She'll have these punks thrown out of town" Jack nodded to himself, as he turned to leave. Freezing, he thought "Nooooo, not yet". Turning back, he muttered "I'm not leaving without my diamond, and my necklace". As he watched Ace turn away from the brothers; he grinned as he was facing his direction. He just had to look up.

"Fuck subtly, I'm goin in" Jack thought a grin as he leaned back and leaped down towards the group. "BANZAIIIIIIIIIIIIIII" Jack shouted determinedly, as he tackles the unexpected Pegasus into the table; shattering it into multiple pieces. Immediately, protest of: What in the? ! It's the human! Why is he here?

"I'm taking back what's mine, and with that in mind" Jack stated as the turned to face the brothers. With a smirk, he delivered a powerful roundhouse kick across their cheeks; sending them sprawling into some chairs. "That was for tricking me, you bastards" Jack spat as he reached down and picked up his necklace, and diamond.

Ace gasped, as he got to his hooves; shaking his head rapidly as he shot the human a fierce glare. "Oh, a tough guy eh? You won't be so tough once I buck ya" Ace threated, as he raised a hoof threateingly at the human.

"Trust me, I would love to throw down with you now. But I think I'd much rather expose you as the two bit liar you are. Later" Jack smirked as he reached back and tossed a fruit from a half open crate; splattering it in Ace's eyes as he rushed past him and the Flim Flam brothers.

"Ooof, stop him" Flam shouted, as he reached for the flash light. As he was about to grasp it, Jack kicked it further away into the darkness of the warehouse; prompting the con pony to chase after it. Grabbing it, he glared at where the human was escaping as he aimed the flash light in his direction! "I wish you would stop" he shouted at the light went out, and collided with the door as Jack closed it in time; missing him!

Outside, Jack rushed for the trees in a mad dash for the trees. Sparing a glance back at the building, he watched as Ace flew out from the skylight and dove down at him; a furious look in his eyes as he went to tackle the human. Gripping a thick branch, Jack smirked as he stood in front of it as he pulled it back; standing still. As Ace was about to grab him, Jack laughed "Take this"! THWACK! The branch smacked into Ace; sending him sprawling backwards!

"OoooaaaaaaaAAAAA" Ace shouted as he collided with the crates; sending them crashing down on top of them as they opened up; spilling multiple fruits. Emerging from the fruits, completely plastered; the Pegasus grinded his teeth angrily as he flew up into the air and charged at the human once more.

"Doesn't he ever give up" Jack shouted in annoyance as he leaped over a log; his shoes splattering through the mud as he looked back to see no sign of the Pegasus. Turning forward, he gasped as he spotted the Flim Flam brothers aiming the flash light right at him! "Uh oh" Jack groaned.

"I wish you were an obedient, strong pony that would obey are every command" Flim declared; shooting the magic right at the boy, as he watched him dive aside as the magic struck a tree. In a puff of smoke, the tree had become a large, muscular stallion! "Grrr, get that boy" Flim declared to their new friend.

"GRAAAAH" shouted the minion as he charged at the human; grabbing him in a bear hug from behind as he started to squeeze the life outta the human!

"Errrrrr" Jack gasped as he looked up at the pony. Struggling against his grip; Jack inhaled as he remarked "If this is the best you've got; then you're really gonna need help". Bringing his foot back; he rammed it between the ponies legs; watching as his eyes widened in horror as he immediately let go of Jack as the minion fell over; gripping his sore spot.

Looking around for an escape, Jack spotted a small ravine as he leaped towards it; magic blast being shot at from all over behind him! "Whoooaaaaaaa" Jack shouted as he slid down the ravine and went into a roll. Staggering, he continued to run; ducking his down to avoid getting blasted!

"Curse you boy! Come back here" Flam shouted, continuing to blast at where he ran; watching as the parts of the first turned into random odds and ends. "Darn it, this isn't working" Flam panicked to his brother.

"How are we supposed to stop him when he won't even..WHOA" Flim gasped, as he a powerful wind shot by him; scaring the crap outta him as he looked around rapidly for the source of what had just… he slowly grinned as he watched Ace chase after the human; with Minion right behind him. "Oh yes! The human wont escape! He won't be able to tell anyone on what happened" Flim laughed mockingly at where the human had jumped.

"You're not gonna get me so easily" Jack shouted, as he continued to jump over bushes, as he could see that he was about to reach the outskirts of town. Just abit further, and he would expose Ace for the liar that he was! Yes, finally something was actually gonna work well for him! This hot shot pony wasn't gooonnaooOOF! Jack let out a gasp of shock as something smashed against his back; sending him sprawling into a roll. Lifting himself off his stomach, his eyes widened in shock at the sight of Ace; contempt written all over his face as he pawed at the ground dangerously as steam seemed to snort out of his nostrils.

"Ahhh, I take it your abit peeved at me busting up your little scheme" Jack smirked as he got up slowly, dusting himself off as he started to circle the Pegasus. "Ever since you showed up and started to humiliate me in front of my friends, I knew there was something wrong about you".

"Hmph, everything was going swell for me. Making money, getting fame and sucking this town dry of its cash till there would be nothing left. Then you had to go and butt in" Ace snorted in anger as he circled the human as well, as he rose his sunglasses as he looked the human up and down. "I'm surprised that this town hasn't even thrown you out yet. You're the only human here for miles. Do you think that your so welcomed in this town that every pony likes you" Ace sneered at the human, attempting to break his spirit.

"Your right" Jack said softly, surprising the Pegasus as Jack slowly looked up. "I am different, but just because I'm not like every pony around here doesn't make me a freak" Jack snorted. Cocking a thumb at the forest, he said "Zebras exist here, so do Dragons..heck I saw some donkeys in town. I know how some ponies talk". Shaking his head, he remarked "I know that not every pony likes me, but that's how society's work. Some like, some don't. Their just opinions. So, why do you think I should give two shits about what you say". Taking a fighting stance, he smirked "Enough talk, I'm gonna kick your teeth in".

"Bring it human" Ace snapped back, as he circled around the human; looking for an opening where he could…

AHA! Flim and Flam jumped out of the bushes behind Jack, aiming the flash light right at the human. Watching him whirl around to face them, the two laughed evilly as Flim aimed the flash light at Jack. "Ooo, you're not gonna get away this time! I wish that you no longer existed"!

Jack gasped as he flinched, closing his eyes to wait for pain and felt…nothing? Opening them, he could see the ponies pointing the flash light that wasn't even shinning at Jack. "Huh" Jack stated as he watched the ponies hit the switch multiple times, shaking it as they tried to force it to work.

Flam got an idea as he unscrewed the bottom of the flash light, and out slid a battery. "Batteries dead" he informed.

"WHAT KINDA MAGIC FLASH LIGHT THAT CAN GRANT WISHES RUNS ON BATTERIES" Jack demanded angrily, his eyes widening in shock at this revelation? This was absolutely ridiculous! What sorta chaotic, half brained idiot, would make such a thing? Calming himself down, Jack waited for an opportunity.

"Curses, how are we supposed to…bah! It matters not! We just need to get our hooves on him and keep him from tell…" Flam started to say, as Jack interrupted.

Front flipping towards the shocked Ace; Jack punched him square in the jaw, causing the stallion to let out a cry of pain as Jack then back flipped towards Flim and Flam; leaping over them as he smirked "If you'll excuse me, I got somewhere to be now".

Now going through town, Jack rushed through the crowd of ponies in the square; hoping to keep out of sight of Ace before the pony caught him! Not that he was afraid or nothing, but he would much rather prefer to expose him! "C'mon, where's the mayors place.." Jack panicked as he skidded to a stop, his eyes whirling around rapidly as he tried to spot a place of sanctuary. Spotting Twilights Library, a grin etched onto his face as he started to rush for it when…

POW!

Every pony froze as they turned to witness the sight of Jack being flung into the air, as he landed roughly; going into a roll as he ended up on his stomach. Hissing in pain, he slowly glanced up to see Ace as he said with faux concern "Wow, are you alright"? He reached down with one hoof as if to help him up when he was really reaching for his pocket to take his diamond. "

"No" Jack snapped, slapping his hoof away as he staggered to his feet; shooting glares at the pony. Every pony around him was watching with curiosity as he made a scene, Jack knowing that he had to reveal the truth. Removing his phone, he looked around as he grinned with delight as he spotted Rarity and the others; coming to see what was happening. He took a step towards them; phone raised as it was suddenly smacked out of his hand; going into a slide as it landed roughly with a crack! Whirling around to face Flim and Flam , he shot the snickering ponies a hated glare.

"No…" Jack moaned slowly as he picked up his phone, and examined it. The picture was gone, somehow. He had no proof… Closing his eyes in frustrated anger, he opened them again as Rarity approached him.

"Jack? What's going on? Why did you.." She started to ask, noticing his frustrated look as she was interrupted by a cry of shock!

"Aggg, my Ace pin just disintegrated" A pony angrily shouted, shooting eyes like daggers at the Flim Flam brothers.

"Hey! The vase I brought them from just cracked into pieces" Another called up! Soon, more complaints about Ace items becoming destroyed shot up as if when the magic of the flash light expired, so did their connection to the items. The Flim Flam brothers smiled sheepishly at this, as Flim whispered "Think brother! We need a plan of action".

"Way ahead of you….IT WAS ALL ACE's IDEA" Flam shouted, pointing an accusing hoof at Ace who whirled around; eyes widening in shock at this betrayal! "He set all of those accidents up, so he could swoop in and save the day". Watching as the ponies slowly came to realize this, Flam whispered "Let him take the fall, whilst we get outta here".

"Wait…you were responsible for all those accidents" Rarity asked in shock, as she realized that how wrong she had been! Jack had every right to be angry with Ace for what he had been doing then..and with her for believing Ace she realized with guilt.

"Ahhh, well I…errr…" Ace laughed weakly, not having an idea or scam on how to get outta this one. Turning to face Jack in his irrational angry state, he let out a furious roar as he charged at the shocked human. Attempting to head butt him, he gasped as he missed and went passed! Turning around, he received a swift sock right across his cheek as he staggered onto his rear.

"That was for pissing me off" Jack snorted at Ace, satisfied that he was getting what he deserved. Remembering the Flim Flam brothers, Jack whirled around and spotted the two of them sneaking off. "HEY! COME BACK HERE" Jack shouted at them, watching in amusement as the crowd of ponies spotted them sneaking off as they gave chase to the fleeing brothers. Laughing as he whirled around in time to watch Ace fly off furiously, Jack let out a heavy sigh. "And stay out" Jack smirked lightly at where he had fled. Turning to face his friends, who were approaching with grins on their faces; he chuckled "Uh, I guess I gotta tell what happened huh"?

"Jack, before you do I..I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to assume, t..to say that you were jealous" Rarity apologized, lowering her head down shamefully.

Jack was surprised to see Rarity was apologizing to him as he said "Umm, well…". He was abit peeved that she would think of him in such a way, and yet he could also understand why she felt that way.

"Blast it" Sid grumbled in annoyance as he rolled his eyes as he watched the humongous apple vanish before his eyes as it reverted back to a boulder. Sighing, he slumped down in depression. His magic was coming back twice as strong as it originally was yes; but it was taking such a long time for it all to come back! How was he supposed to have fun with Equestria? Heck, what was he supposed to do whilst he waited?

Thinking about Jack for a moment, he got an idea as he turned around at the cave wall. Staring at it, he pointed a hand at it; eyes closing as he focused, wanting to see what world it was Jack came from; delving deep into Jacks mind as Sid sweated from the concentration it took. Opening his eyes again, he gasped as he stared at a blurry see through image on the wall; almost like a mirror as he stared in wonder at what looked like a city of some sort.

"Oh interesting" Sid smirked, putting a hand to his chin as he observed New York City through the mirror image…

_**Dang, I almost couldn't do this one cause of how hard it is to keep it with writing this and studying. Well, hope you enjoy this one . Till next week!**_


	16. Chapter 16

_**My little pony: The Urchin and the Princess**_

_**Disclaimer: Special thanks to FrostBite 10, Monkey 157, Fan Boy 101, Antrxx, Furycutter and others ^_^ You bronies rock! Now onto what ponies have been waiting for: More of Jack and Rarity! Well, Rarity interacting with Jack with her concern anyway! I think after the next chapter; they **__**might **__**be ready to continue forward. **_

_**This chapter has a few of the ponies be abit OC'ish, but I guess its cause they've never been in this situation before. **_

_**Chapter 16: Cognitive terror**_

"Are you don't have anything that can get rid of the nightmares completely" Jack asked Zecora as he eyed around the multiple vials casually. For the last couple of days he had been experiencing nightmares which all ended with him waking up, in a cold sweat; sometimes screaming in absolute fear. He wouldn't have paid much attention since everyone got nightmares, but it had been happening in such frequencies and ending in the same manner that he got concerned.

In the dream, he was in some unknown world where at first every single thing he ever wanted had come to life! Then just as he was about to enjoy himself, the clouds would become pitch-dark. A high powerful wind would pick up, as red blazing eyes glared down at him from the clouds. From out of the clouds, a claw stretched out to grasp him! Jack tried to run, but couldn't escape as he was plucked up from off the ground. Struggling in its grip, he would then scream the clouds parted and resembled a mouth of a rows of jagged teeth as suddenly inside the blackness; a red light shined as a torrent of fire shot out at him; incinerating him!

It had been happening a lot, and he wanted to stop having these nightmares. HE would tell his friends that it was nothing, and brush off any concerns that they had; reassuring them that it was nothing to worry about when it was a lie. Wanting some help, he went to see if he could get something from Zecora to help get rid of his nightmares. All she really had according to her were remedies that could ease the nightmares, but not take them away completely.

"Remedies I have, they will bring your nightmares ease. But to rid you of them completely? Please" Zecora rolled her eyes at the idea of ridding oneself of nightmares completely. Looking through her vials, she asked "To keep secrets from your friends in such woe. I trust that despite your attitude about it, they know"? As she questioned about how it was really getting to him, and if his friends knew it.

"Ahh, they're pretty clueless. Well, not Rarity really since she's been asking me a lot lately about these nightmares I have. I tell her its nothing, but I don't think she's buying it" Jack grumbled softly, as he thought about their last talk. Rarity and he had been hanging out a lot lately, and he had taken to finding her company really awesome! Ever since the Ace incident, the two of them had become really good friends so to say the least; it was really making him feel guilty in lying to her about him not being troubled by his nightmares.

"Hmm hmm, to keep up your façade is important yes. But to hide how you really feel form your friends, surely you jest" Zecora asked with a raised brow as compared vials of liquid. One would help bring more good dreams then bad, and another would help make his good dreams stronger once the nightmare passed. Which was better for him though?

"Ahh, well I just don't want to them to worry about me. I don't want them to come running to my rescue or nothing just cause of something that's goin on with me" Jack snorted in response, as he stated to push vials past so he could look for something that could actually help him. He didn't want the symptoms treated, he wanted the disease".

As he eyed around for anything useful, Jack smirked as he found something. Reading the label, he mused "Hmmm, wonder if this could be useful" as the label of ALPREZLOEN shined brightly in his eyes. The description said it could ease any problem no matter what; and that sounded good enough for Jack. As he uncorked the vial and poured it in a jar, he should have read the warning label of what it would cause as a side effect.

"JACK, WAIT STOP" Zecora shouted in alarm; realizing with horror what Jack was swallowing.

As Jack finished, he smacked his lips as he smirked "Wow that tasted great. I don't know what your problem is, but I think that this is really gonna he…uh…ugggggh…gahhhhh" Jack groaned as he suddenly bent over; gripping his forehead intently as if it was about to split in two. "Ahh, my head..it hurts" Jack moaned as he could feel a burning sensation shoot through his head, like it was about to split in two! Looking up, he blinked as his vision started to slowly disorient and Zecora started to mutate before his very eyes. Backing away in fear, he moaned "N..No".

Zecora blinked in confusion, as Jack was looking at her like she was some sort of monster. Watching in back up further and further, she realized that the effects of the ALPREZLOEN were taking affect! It would ease his pain yes, but the warning label clearly stated it would bring whatever problem that was to the surface to force him to confront it! His mind isn't able to accept this this freaking. She had to get him to calm down! Approaching Jack, she spoke "Jack, you are under the control of ALPREZLOEN's fri".

"Stay the hell away from me" Jack shouted in fear, as the entire room had now changed! Zecora's fur was now covered in pale looking scales, she was standing on two jagged, clawed feet. Her muscles had increased rapidly, as he eyes glared with a red hue at the human. They were now standing on an arena, in the middle of nowhere with lava pits all around him! Turning to run, he gasped as he could feel pieces of rubble fall out from under him, the lava below hissing as the rocks melted within them. Turning back to face the monster, Jack raised his hands to block his face as blue power was blown into it!

Coughing rapidly, he gasped "W..wha..what"? as he sputtered and tried to shake off whatever had been blown in his face. Staring, he let out a groan as he suddenly felt incredibly tired. Staggering as he tried to keep his balance, he was unable to stop himself as he fell forward and drifted to sleep.

"I am sorry Jack, but I had to calm you down. I will go get your friends, hopefully they're in town" Zecora apologized to the sleeping human as she put down the bag of sleeping draught she had. Gently placing him on her bed, she turned and immediately trotted out the door.

"JACK" Rarity panicked as she immediately charged into Zecoras home without a thought, her friend's right behind her. Spotting the sleeping human, she trotted up to him as she spoke gently "Jack? It's your friends". Seeing no response, she poked his side to hopefully wake him up in a gentle manner.

Pinkie wasn't as gentle as she hopped onto the bed, as she opened one of Jack's eye lids; hoping to see his eye follow her;. Sadly, it started blankly ahead as Pinkie called "Yoo hoooo! Jack, wakey wakey"!

"I don't think that's going to help him Pinkie" Twilight informed as she approached. Looking over him carefully, she was about to call his name when Jack immediately let out a cry of shock; struggling rapidly before becoming still. "He's not going to awaken anytime soon is he" Twilight asked, as she let out a sight. Zecora had explained the events of what happened, and had brought them to hopefully help Jack out. But Twilight was wondering what they could exactly do.

"Darn it Jack! Why'd you have to lie to us and not tell us what's wrong" Rainbow demanded to the sleeping human; not expecting a response. Lowering her head in defeat, she asked "When is Jack going to wake up"?

"I am sorry to say my friends, but he is trying to beat his nightmares for his own sake. Only after he had overcome this, shall he awake" Zecora informed them regretfully. Cause Jack had to go and try and use ALPREZLOEN; he wasn't gonna wake up until he had won".

"B..but what if he doesn't win? Why, Jack could be stuck asleep forever and we wouldn't be able to help him" Applejack gasped in shock, hoping that wasn't the case with Jack. He was a good guy, who didn't deserve that kinda fate!

"Su..surely there must be something we can do to help him" Fluttershy asked, as she started to gently run her hoof through Jacks messy hair to try and comfort him in his dream. It seemed to relax him for a moment, before he started to grit his teeth in pain.

Zecora tuned away from the others, as she stared down; deep in thought. She could think of one way that they could help him, but it would be dangerous at the same time. Then again, shouldn't that be up for them to decide. "A way to help your friend, there is indeed. But the cost of what you would have to do; would you still proceed" Zecora questioned the mane six seriously. As they all slowly nodded, Zecora sighed as she explained "I can conjure a ritual that will allow you to enter Jack's dream. But the horrors of what you may face, could cause you to scream".

"We could enter into his mind, and help him from their" Rarity asked with hope, as she stared down at the sleeping human. "Did you hear that, we'll be able to help you after all Jack" she smiled happily as she gently hugged the sleeping human before pulling away with a light blush on her cheeks.

"Wouldn't we be trespassing" Applejack questioned with a raised brow as she looked down at Jack. Now Jack was a sensible fellow in his own ways, but to go and invade his mind. Even though their intentions were good, they could end up accidently seeing parts of his head that he kept to himself. She didn't want Jack to be mad at them if they did that.

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind. It's for a really good cause, we're going in to save him! He's been goin around helping out every pony, saving others. I'd say that it's our turn to save him" Rainbow Dash insisted to Applejack.

"I know he could be irritated, but umm..It would be better to help him in some way then to not do anything at all" Fluttershy quipped.

"Fluttershy's right" Twilight nodded as she looked down with sadness at the suffering Jack. "I would rather Jack be angry with us for going into his dream, then leaving him here to suffer like this" Twilight spoke to the others seriously. Letting out a heavy sigh, she said "Zecora, send us in after Jack; we're going to help him".

Before Zecora did so, she warned that in his dream, Jack will think the world around him is reality, and the nightmare that is haunting him will try to persuade him to stay by taking on the forms of things, and beings he cares for. They must not be deceived and must convince Jack to pull away from whatever illusions that nightmare presents to him, as it will wish for him to never pull away and trapped forever more. If they can give Jack the strength to become aware that the world around him is dream; it will give him the necessary strength to stand up to whatever nightmare is causing him pain. Upon standing up to whatever the nightmare as shown to him, then he will awaken.

"A...are you sure about this" Fluttershy asked Zecora curiously.

"Indeed Fluttershy, as it will help save your friend. But be warned, of the dangers you shall face from beginning to end" Zecora informed. Instructing the ponies sit; Zecora immediately rushed towards her cauldron as she started to drop several herbs, and pour in a mixture of elixirs. Chanting softly, she pointed to the ponies as her eyes started to glow violet; indicating that her powers were beginning to work! From within the cauldron, a purple light emerged smog shot out, and surrounded the mane six. The last thing they saw was Zecora giving them a reassuring smile before they passed out…

_Light shinned into Rarity's eyes as she flinched at the brightness, placing a hoof in front of her eyes to block out the light. Groaning softly, she waved her hoof rapidly as if trying to make the brightness go away. It seemed to do little as she blinked a few times and found herself staring up at a clear blue sky. "What in Celestia" she started to speak when suddenly the roar of an engine flew over ahead. Letting out an eep at the sudden sound, she shot up looking around rapidly as she blinked "What? Where"?_

_Before her was an Air force base, F-16's parked and landing all around the group. It was surrounded by a metal chain-link fence, soldiers armed with rifles guarding it; patrolling around the base. Pilots laughed casually as some of them were going to do their drills, others were goofing off with some buddies, maintenance was repairing any grounded jet, and finally pilots listening to music._

"_Girls, wake up" Rarity insisted as she had nearly avoided the rim of a tire smacking into her head when it flew overhead. Watching as they slowly got up, she pointed "What is this place"?_

_Rainbow Dash looked around with a mixture of awe and amazement as two jets went flying by at high speed, doing barrel rolls in mid-air. "Whoa! Those things are cool" Rainbow Dash beamed at the sight of the jets. Suddenly remembering they were dreaming, she spoke "Hey wait, aren't we dreaming"?_

"_That's right, we are! So where's Jack" Applejack asked, gasping as she watched as some humans walked by them without even giving them a second glance. Perhaps they were nothing more than movie go-ers watching a flick without being able to interact with the characters? _

"_OOoooo, wowewowweewowwee" Pinkie grinned excitedly as she looked around excitedly at all the amazing sights of the base. Giggling, she grinned "This is so cool! Jacks dream is really, really, really, really, really neato"! _

"_Umm, but Applejacks right. Where is Jack" Fluttershy asked in concern._

"_Only one way to find out" Rarity stated determinedly, as she started to trot towards the base, the others behind her. As they passed the gate, the humans didn't seem to take much notice of them and even if they did; it was barely for second and no real cause for alarm in their eyes. Turning towards a sleek looking jet, Rarity blinked as she spotted what looked like a boy, ten, or eleven. Familiar messy black hair, with different colored eyes. He was smiling happily as he was hugging an older man in his mid-thirties, shaved black hair; uniform with the tag: DEREK_

"_Papa, I can't believe that your back" The boy chirped cheerfully._

_The man smiled lightly in response, as he patted his sons head affectionately. "That's right Jack, I've been given an honorable discharge. I won't have to fight anymore, and will be able to stay with you more" Derek smiled as he hugged his son._

"_Jack? Then..that must be" Rarity gasped as she recognized the boy as Jack when he was a child! Amazing! So this must be a memory from his childhood…but wait a sec! Didn't Jack say that his father had been fighting for a long time? Jack had started to open up more, and had shared that his father was constantly away, always off fighting in some unknown country before he had died. So what was this about never having to fight again?_

"_Daw, well aint that nice" Applejack smiled lightly at the scene of Jack being with his father._

_Rarity knew something was wrong, so she decided to take action. Trotting up to Jack and his father, she coughed "Ahem, hello Jack". Getting his attention as he looked at her curiously, she smiled "Do you know who I am"? His father looked up for a half second, as his eyes widened in alarm at the sight of the unicorn but quickly shrugged it off as he looked back down._

_Jack blinked several times as he stared at the unicorn with observing eyes, as he asked "Huh? Who are you"? He had never seen these ponies before…speaking of which, why were ponies talking to him? It was really neat, but at the same time confusing since he never heard of ponies being able to talk at all. Looking up at his Papa, he asked "How come there are talking ponies Papa"?_

_The dad apparently seemed to have an idea, as he lied "Well you see son we're trying to bring some relief to the base by creating mechanized, life like ponies that are able to talk, and supposedly fly. You don't have to worry since they aren't real" he shrugged indifferently._

"_Not real? You won't be saying that once I knock you out flat, buster" Rainbow Dash threatened as she took a step towards the human only to be held back by Applejack. _

"_Are you sure you don't know who we are Jack" Twilight asked sincerely, watching his expression change slowly as he seemed to be in deep thought as if trying to figure out if he did know them or not, but seemed to settle for not as he shook his head in response._

_Rarity could see they were getting nowhere fast, as she said "Jack? When was the last time you saw your Papa"? _

_Jack's eyes widened as he laughed "Ha! That's easy, I saw him…I saw him last…umm". He frowned as he started to struggle to remember when the last time he saw his dad was. Surely it was earlier today, and yet he couldn't remember anything on meeting his dad today. Or of his dad even coming home from across seas. IN fact, it was May right now…Papa wasn't supposed to be back until June. Why was he back early?_

_His father was always busy, and barely had time to make for Jack anymore didn't he?_

_Seeing his sons confusion, Derek smiled "Ahh, well it's not that important isn't it son? What matters is that I'm here now and you don't have to worry anymore of being alone. Just give up on those notions and…"._

_Now Jack was really suspicious! Give up? His dad never used those words because he never gave up at all! His dad was a fighter, always had been and never knew when to back down. Staring intently at his dad, Jack looked at his eyes as he could see although they were green; a hollowness behind them that seemed false. Eyes widening, Jack backed away from his dad's hug. "You're not my dad" Jack declared in anger, as if he had just awoken from a dream. Seeing his dad beckon him to come closer, Jack gasped as his dads eyes turned red as he realized that this was an imposter!_

"_N..NO" Jack panicked as he turned away, and ran past the group of ponies as his body started to glow in a bright blue light; causing him to vanish from the scene._

"_Huh, where'd he go" Applejack gasped in shock, eyes rapidly looking for where Jack had vanished too._

"_You..you took him away from me" Derek growled low, his eyes flaring furiously at the ponies as he stood up tightening his knuckles in fury._

"_Ha! So sorry to disappoint ya, but Jack is our friend and he stays with us" Rainbow Dash taunted the imposter of Jack's father, blowing some of her mane out of her eye. _

"_NO! HE IS MINE! AND I WOULD RATHER SEE HIM DEAD THEN FREE" The imposter roared as suddenly the sky turned a crimson red, as smog surrounded the false Derek; causing him to vanish within it. Within the black smog, a glowing pair of red eyes glared hatefully at the ponies; furious at being denied its prize. Starting to float towards the girl's; it started to speared itself outwards towards them in an attempt to suffocate them!_

"_Uhh no don't" Rainbow Dash declared as she flew in front of the creature and started to flap its wings at a high speed in an attempt to separate this thing, and make it dissolve into the wind! Watching as her plan started to work, Dash was stunned as..it vanished completely? "Really? That was the nightmare thing Zecora was talking about" Dash stated, unable to believe that it had been that easy._

_Suddenly, the environment around them changed completely as they found themselves standing on a plateau of rock, and doors as it floated in the middle of empty space; the sky and scenery a sickly green. The doors on the plateau were lined up evenly across from one another, as the one at the very end was locked it seemed. _

"_What is this…" Fluttershy asked in shock, wondering if this was all for real. It was as if they were at some sort of station or rest stop between the sections of Jacks mind, and like each door led to a different thing that made up what sorta person Jack was. That or another of his memories. _

"_What I want to know is what was that thing we just…I mean if that was the nightmare; then where did it go? We have to find it before it hurt's Jack" Rarity insisted, her eyes narrowing from one door to the next; trying to figure out which door to take"._

"_Hmm, one door on the left, nother on the right. Left, right, left, right….which door should we look in ne…" Pinkie started to ask until she was interrupted by the first door on the left making a clicking sound as a huge padlock with chains appeared around the door, locking it up tightly. "Ahh, I guess we're not goin that way huh" ._

_Twilight stared to the door on the opposite side, as she stated "Well, the only way were gonna find Jack is if we search through his memories one at a time". Grabbing the knob, she opened it slowly as the others followed behind as they were blinded then by a flash of light. As the light faded, the scenery had changed once more._

_Now the ponies were on a playground of some sort, a crowd of children around twelve maybe, having surrounded a small group of boys fighting. The crowd chanted the word fight, over and over again as the group of boy's pushed one boy to the ground; inciting a groan of pain as the boy slowly got up; shaking in fear. _

_Jack pulled his denim jacket closer to him, as he didn't want to get yanked by it and tossed to the ground or into another knee to the gut. Gulping in fear, he tried to back out but was pushed back by the crowd into the circle; as he couldn't seem to manage an escape. Panic started to overtake him, as he moaned "Not good..not good"._

"_I don't understand" Rarity stated in confusion as she watched the spectacle. As a teenager, Jack was amazingly brave! He had stared down opponents that had outnumbered him greatly, had the advantage in speed, power and pretty much everything else. The way he had described himself when he was young was being able to handle anything that had been thrown at him, and yet here he was cowering in fear of a group of bullies. Why was..oh! An idea coming to mind, she smiled "Maybe it was because that she needed to tell him that he was brave! Maybe he was, and this nightmare was just changing the bits of whatever his true memory was. After all, isn't that what dreams did? Change things based off real life"?_

_Jack grunted, as the boy struggled to get to his feet. Staggering, he gently rubbed his chin to comfort the pain as he looked up in time to receive another punch to the face; this time knocking him flat out onto his back as he could taste blood. Sitting up with fear, he could hear someone shouting to him. "CMON JACK! THESE GOONS ARE NOTHING COMPARED TO YOU" A girl shouted encouragingly to Jack as he turned around and spotted a rainbow manned Pegasus. Blinking in confusion at the sight of her, he turned back around to face the bullies as he got up slowly; raising his fist._

"_That's it Jack! Don't let them push you around" Dash encouraged Jack, wanting to get in there and teach those jerks not to mess with her friend but knew better. In this world, one's memories and characteristics of their personality seemed to waver; changing them. Jack had to remember who he was!_

"_But..but, I don't know if I can win…its hopeless" Jack stuttered fearfully, as the crowd of kids slowly started to encircle Jack, faster and faster and faster until they became a whirling mist of power! Collapsing to his knees, Jack muttered "I can't…"._

"_Don't give up hope Jack! Even when situations look their direst, there's always a way to win! You just have to stand up, and have faith" Applejack called to the human, seeing he was starting to doubt himself. He couldn't if he was gonna get out of this one in one piece._

_Jack looked up at AJ, and then to Dash as he muttered "You two seem like I know you from somewhere". Images flashed through his head as he got up, and looked ahead seriously as he glared at the crowd. Clenching his fist, he muttered to himself "Leave me alone". When the crowd started to move in closer to him to the point where he couldn't get any arm space, Jack reacted! "LEAVE ME ALONE" he shouted angrily, lashing his fist forward as he socked one of the bullies in the cheek as the whirl wind slowly started to die down back into kids, as they started to back away from Jack._

"_I won't let you continue to bully me" Jack declared at the crowd. Watching them growl as they slowly faded away, Jack whirled around as he spotted the gang. Approaching the slowly, he said "Who…who are you all"? As he asked this, his body slowly started to glow white as he vanished once more. _

_Once again, the group was standing back on the plateau with doors. Looking at where had just came from; there were more doors now locked! Only two of them were still open. As Twilight observed this, she smiled as she stated "I got it! Whenever Jack regains confidence in himself on an aspect, a door locks to show that he's alright! All we gotta do is help him in two more aspects in order for him to be able to wake up"!_

"_Then let's do this quickly, and help Jack wake up" Rarity insisted as she opened one of the remaining doors without another word. Light filtered through as it once again blinded them, as they now found themselves…in the same pale green sky, and floating pieces of land environment! Cept this time, a fourteen year old Jack was sitting in the middle of the plateau, his face buried into his knees as he muttered incoherently to himself_

_Twilight, AJ, and Dash looked at each other as they nodded to Rarity, Pinkie, and Fluttershy to approach him this time. Rarity could see that Jack was huddle up, his back against a boulder as he continued to mutter softly. Rarity thought about the last two encounters. They all seemed to be a part of him that needed to be restored or observed. Like Jack with his father. Perhaps that was something he desired, to have his father alive again. Then there was being pushed around by bullies, and having to stand up for himself. That seemed to be Jack having to regain his confidence in himself, so he could not lose hope again. But what was this? _

"_Jack" Fluttershy asked softly, hoping to get his attention. _

_Jack blinked as he slowly looked up, tears streaming down his face as he spoke "Theirs no one here…". He could see silhouettes of what looked like ponies before him, and yet he couldn't completely see them. So they must not be real. "Alone…all alone…" he muttered aloud, as he looked out helplessly into the distance; depression eating away at him._

_Pinkie frowned at this, not wanting to see Jack smile. Getting an idea, she trotted up to the human and began to make silly faces, hoping it would get a laugh outta the human. Nothing happened, as Jack just stared blankly at the ponies. Lowering his head, he continued to mutter to himself. Pinkie lowered her head, as she said "Jacky? It's me Pinkie"!_

"_Where is my father…my family…who are you…are you going to take everything from me" Jack said, fear evident in his eyes as he backed up further into the boulder as he stared at the ponies before him. _

"_Jack..we would never do anything like that to you" Fluttershy insisted, reaching out casually as she tried to touch him. This only caused Jack to gulp in fear as he shook his head in denial at what he was seeing._

_Rarity, having enough of this, approached as she grabbed Jack's shoulder and gave him a good shake. She understood now. It seemed that in each part of Jack's personality, he needed to be reminded that he was friends with them all. This seemed to represent Jack's greatest fear; being alone. It seemed ironic since Jack started off as a loner that wanted nothing to do with them, or anyone. Perhaps that was just his pride being in control out of fear of needing others as a weakness. _

"_Jack, we're your friends. You might have been for a long time throughout your life, but not anymore. We've spent time with you, and have come to understand that you're a really good person. You have faults, but so does every pony. That doesn't mean you're alone. If you're ever having a bad day, or you want to get something off your chest; then your friends are here for you. You're not alone, and you never will be alone" Rarity insisted to the human, hoping that her message would get through to him. _

_Recognition started to take place in Jack's eyes as he stared seriously at the pony, eyes widening as he spoke softly "Ra..rity? It's really you"? When she nodded, Jack immediately threw his arms around her as he hugged her. "Thank god! I felt so lost that…I would never see another being again. This place…I don't know where we are, or how we got here but..but I have to get out of here. I feel like I'm losing myself.."._

_Finishing this statement, Jack once again glowed before vanishing! _

"_Well, this is it. Last door" Twilight nodded as she opened the door and found themselves…in a sunny field, tall grass all around them as the sky retained its greenish hue. Standing in the middle of the field, was the current aged Jack who was walking back and forth slowly as he nervously looked around; as if trying to decide which way to go. Hearing his name being called, he spotted the group as he held up a hand warningly "Stop…is you real"? _

_Rarity stepped forward, as she nodded "We're real darling, and we're here to get you out of here". To prove they were real, she stepped up to him as she placed a hoof gently into his hand so he could see she was real._

_Letting out a sigh of relief, Jack growled "Good, I don't know what this is but I can't tell what's real anymore". _

"_Jack, listen carefully to me. This is all a dream" Twilight insisted as she explained "This is a world that your mind has created, and only you can wake yourself up. But you need to first face the nightmare" she finished._

"_Nightmare…dreams" Jack questioned, as he placed a confused hand to his forehead as he muttered "No no, this can't be. I can't be dreaming, the last thing I remember was…was…". He couldn't remember for the life of him! What had he been doing! "If..if this really is a dream, then it would explain a lot. But wait…". Looking up, he speculated "If I'm dreaming, and I'm aware of it, doesn't that mean I can…"._

"_I…won't allow it" a voice hissed through the air. The gang looked around for the speaker of the voice; as the smog from before slowly appeared before them. As it gathered together, it started to take shape. Combing itself, it slowly formed leg's, followed my arms, feet…a head. The creature hunched over as it kept itself hidden as detail started to form on the shapeless creature. Messy black hair, punk looking clothes. The creature chuckled darkly to itself as it slowly looked up to face Jack._

_Jack gasped, his pupils dilating in shock as he shook his head in disbelief at what he was looking at. Blinking, he couldn't accept that the face looking at him…was his own? "What the hell…" Jack gawked at the grinning double ganger._

_**Cliff hanger! Sorry if the chapter is abit OC'ish for the characters personality. My brain is seriously fried from all the constant studying and preparing for my midterms. Hopefully, next week's chapter will be more focused. Anyway as always, read an review **_


	17. Chapter 17

_**Furycutter: You're right. Last week's chapter did feel weak, and I suppose I could attribute that to not having a creative enough idea/college work. I decided to jump ahead abit, but I should have shown him being affected by these nightmares in front of the others. As for finding out what happened to his dad, well I had been planning to implement that into this part of this story. Hopefully this week's chapter will be better. Thank you for your honesty. **_

_**As always, special thanks to Furycutter, daring doooo89, FrostBite10, Fan Boy 101, Antrxx, and so many others!**_

_**Chapter 17: Cognitive Terror part 2**_

_Jack couldn't believe his eyes, as he stared at the grinning clone of himself. Looking him up and down, he noted that he had the same hair, the same eyes, and the same clothes. The only difference was whilst Jack's expression was complete shock, the clone was grinning with a sinister edge as if he was eager to tell some sort of private joke with him. Glaring at the clone, Jack pointed "Who the hell are you"! This seemed to cause laughter, which irritated Jack as he shouted "ANSWER ME"!_

"_Who do you think I am stupid" the clone snorted, as he crossed his arms grinning lightly at the ponies. I'm obviously you, or at least the better part of you. The one who doesn't need friends". Rolling his eyes, he remarked "Such a waste of time"._

_Blinking, Jack then let out a laugh as he remarked "Oh really, do you really think I'm gonna fall for that? That you're my "darker side" or some shit? Ha! You're gonna have to do a lot better than that". He wasn't about ready to buy that this guy had crawled out from the deep, depths of his mind in order to make him feel guilty in knowing that Jack had helped in creating this monster. _

"_Wh..who are you! What do you want with our friend" Rarity demanded, confused about what was going on! This double-ganger of her friend just shows up outta nowhere, acting all superior. She had to say she didn't really like his attitude. Whilst he may share Jacks attractive good looks, he certainly did not share the kind attitude Jack could have. _

_The clone stared at her with discontent, as if she wasn't even worth addressing as he then remarked "Already told you all, I'm the side of him that wants things done now. The side that is sick of all this boring old morality crap". _

_Getting an idea, Jack said softly "Wait…theirs a side to everything. One side wants to do the right thing, the other wants to do the wrong; the last wants to balance things out". Staring up slowly, Jack remembered back to the ALPREZOLEN. It was supposed to help rid him of his nightmares. But how was this..unless it was forcing him to confront them! But that doesn't explain why there was a copy of himself before him. Did the nightmare decided to take shape of the worse qualities of Jack?_

"_How were you able to do that? Take on the form of Jack's father, and those children. How were you able to create those…" Twilight started to ask as the clone sent her a bored look. Blinking, she then realized that it was a trivial enough task. If this creature was the nightmare that had been plaguing Jack, then it was a no brainer on how it was able to take forms of people he had seen in his life? That's how nightmares usually began. Something pleasant that turns rotten, so for it to go from his father into some horrible monster didn't seem like a big deal. _

_Shaking his head, Jack pointed at the copy "Whatever you are, it doesn't matter"! Cracking his knuckles, Jack charged at the clone. "I'm gonna kick your teeth in" declared the human angrily!_

"_Jack, wait" Applejack protested, a bad feeling that this wasn't gonna end very well for him!_

_Reaching the clone, Jack whipped his fist in a hook and hit air as the clone ducked underneath his punch, and drove up his knee into Jack's gut; sucking the wind outta him. Gasping in pain, Jack held his gut as he felt the clone grab his hair; and brought his fist down against his skull in an haymaker punch; sending Jack sprawling to the ground. _

"_HEY! LEAVE HIM ALONE" Rainbow Dash shouted angrily, taking to the sky as she soared towards the jerk that was beating on her friend. She honestly didn't know what this guy's problem was, but she wasn't about to let him hurt Jack anymore. Trying to kick at the clone, she gasped as he moved his head out of the way and grabbed her leg in mid-air. "What the? Le..let me go" She growled._

"_Alright" The clone sneered as he whirled around and heaved the Pegasus right into the galloping AJ, causing the two to tumble backwards and end up in one big pony pile! Looking down at Jack, he raised his foot to stomp on his skull when Jack then rolled backwards out of the way to avoid it. _

_Getting himself up, Jack glared angrily at the imposter as he punched three times towards his head. All three of his punches were blocked, as the fourth one was countered with snatching Jack's fist outta midair. Grunting against his strength, Jack thought "The hell is this? How is he so strong"? His remaining thoughts were interrupted with a hook to his cheek; sending him staggering._

_Recovering quickly, Jack then shot back with an angry snarled, roundhouse kicking at the clone, front kicking and finishing with a palm strike towards his nose. All three of the attacks were either caught, or deflected away. Yanked forward from the caught palm strike, Jack gasped in pain as his hands shot up towards his neck; groaning in pain as the clone had knife chopped him hard! "Auugh" Jack gasped, trying to breathe as he turned away._

"_Please, I know every single move you know. Do you think you can beat me" snorted the arrogant clone as he folded his arms casually. _

_Panting as Jack rubbed his cheek, he looked up at AJ and Rainbow Dash, as he then turned around to face his clone. "Maybe, but can you handle all three of us" Jack asked lightly. Seeing the worried look in his eyes, Jack called to the clone "I'm not above accepting help when it's needed"._

"_It's a wonder how you were able to get through life up to this point, during times when you clearly needed help" shot back the clone as he gestured "But if you want me to beat all of you so badly; then by all means come on"._

"_Yer gunna leave are friend alone, and yer gunna leave him alone now" AJ demanded as she trotted towards the clone and attempted to hoof him twice. Her eyes widened in terror as the clone had caught..both of her hooves? "Wh..w..whu" AJ gasped as her mind went into turmoil. This was impossible! How was he able to do this? He was just a..just a.. That's when it hit her. "This was a dream/nightmare. In here, anything was possible" she moaned to herself as the clone laughed hateful as he picked the pony up and tossed her backwards onto her back, inciting a grunt of pain._

"_Hahahahahaha! This is far too easy" laughed the cruel clone, as he decided to slowly shift into something more powerful. The clone's clothes ripped, revealing red scales as his eyes changed into reptilian slits. He gained a golden underbelly as his muscular structure expanded greatly, the tips of his fingers and toes expanding as he grew rows of jagged teeth. _

_Jack stepped back as the stared at the creature that looked like a cross between a dragon and a dinosaur. As the creature flexed its muscles, Jack glared "What in the he..AHGGG" he shouted in pain as he was swatted hard in the face, being sent flying into the group. Immediately, they began to crowd around Jack and offer him their aid._

"_Jack, we'll help you! In this world, I bet that..wait. If this is a dream, than we can be a lot stronger than this" Twilight blinked in realization, smacking the side of her head as if stunned she hadn't thought if it sooner. Turning to face the clone, Twilight glared angrily as she closed her eyes and focused her magic, causing it to build up in her horn as she shot out a beam of light; that struck the creature. Smiling at this, she grinned "Amazing, I was right"!_

"_Of course you were! And if you can do that, than I can do this" Rainbow Dash declared as her body started to glow as she flew so fast towards the monster that she left a trail of fire behind her; signifying her power when she head butted into its stomach. _

_Getting up, Jack aimed his hands at and shot out twin beams made of pyro; burning the monsters flesh as the teen declared "I will beat you"! As he declared this, he watched as the other's came forth to demonstrate what they could do. AJ smashed her hooves into the ground, creating a fissure beneath the dragon as Fluttershy used her stare on the jerk, causing him to become immobilized._

"_Wh..what are you" panicked the monster in pain, as he was undergoing all these attacks's; barely flying to avoid falling into the fissure. He gasped as his body suddenly felt incredibly fragile; as he glared at Rarity before his attentions went to Pinkie Pie._

"_You can't have a party without a Super, duper, ultra, fun, party cannon" Pinkie declared as she produced one out of nowhere; aimed at the big bully's chest and fired a powerful force of party frills at him! The force was so powerful that it knocked him off balance and into the abyss below. Listening to him scream all the way down the group slowly let out a sigh of relief; glad that he was gone. _

_Turning to face the group, Jack smiled sheepishly as he remarked "Ahh, well..we beat him". Receiving a nod, he thought to himself "Wait, that seemed abit too easssseeeaaaaAAAAAAGGG" He shouted as he collapsed forward; the back of his shirt ripped with clawmarks as streams of blood dripped from his wound. Looking back, he gasped to see the monster reemerge from below. Taking on the form of the creatures he found fascinating as a kid was a dirty thing to do…_

"_Very good, very good indeed. That almost actually hurt" sneered the creature as it shape shifted itself back into human form; resembling Jack once more as he smirked "But still not enough". Pointing at all of them, he laughed "You may be able to gain power in this realm, but none of you possess the ability to control this world". That was a lie, but it seemed that the group was too surprised by his revival to notice. _

_Coming to his own conclusion, Jack stood up; almost staggering from the surprise attack to his back as he snorted "I get it now, you really are me. You're the qualities that I never want to have, or use again…cruel, sadistic..borderline bully…". _

"_Hmm hmm, well tell me this than Jack. You say that I'm a result of your worse qualities. Or perhaps I'm at least the side of you that was able to overcome all of the weaknesses that you have gained from the magic of friendship" slurred the sarcastic clone before he sneered "If you are so strong, then tell me why you reacted when you learned how your father had died..in fact; do your friends know" asked the clone innocently; grinning at the curious faces of the ponies before he threatened "I can show them that you were the one who.."._

_That seemed to spark something, as Jack's eyes widened in terror at this as he shook his head rapidly "N..No..no" he muttered, backing up in fear at the statement. Not that, he didn't want to remember that! The clone could threaten to beat him up, kill him, burn him alive; that wouldn't scare him. But..no…he couldn't deal with this. _

"_Ooo, it seems I hit a nerve, but guess what? He even wished death on his father" laughed the clone as he then pointed behind them. "Behold! The fate of Jack's father"! Slowly, a shrouded image started to play before them like a movie, as the ponies, Jack, and the entity found themselves in a busy airport! People passing all around, making reservations, eating at shops, and the like. Yet, some stopped to witness the scene before them._

_Jack looked on at the sight with horror at his 11 year old self, shouting up at his father angrily. Jack started to clamp his hands over his ears, not wanting to hear the horrid words that he had said to his father, and yet he couldn't help himself. He watched as his younger self was standing next to his father at the check in desk._

_The boy glared up, as he shouted "It's not fair"! Stamping his foot, he shouted "You just got back, and you have to go already"? He had been putting up with this all his life with his dad, and had been strong for him. He had kept his chin up whenever his dad was overseas, and he had to stay with relatives. His father had just flown in a day ago to celebrate his eleventh birthday! It had been the first time in almost a year that Jack had seen his dad! He was looking forward to spending so much time with him. now because of an emergency, he had to leave already to another part of the states. _

_Derek sighed, as he shook his head in exasperation. "Son, I'm sorry but there is nothing I can do about it. I have orders, and I can't disobey them. I really wish I didn't have to leave, I wanted to spend more time with you, but I can..". As he was about to speak more, he gasped as he realized he was getting a call on his phone from his superiors. Seeing how he was holding both his cell phone, and wallet; he handed his wallet to his son as he immediately started to talk to his superiors._

_Jack looked down at the wallet, an angry expression on his face as he now felt the need to hurt his father, like he had hurt Jack. Anything at all! Reaching into his wallet, he dug out his dad's address that said where he was staying here in the states when he couldn't go visit his son. He was currently going to another part of the states, and in his angered state; Jack looked up to see if his dad wasn't looking._

_Sure of it, he took the address as he tossed the slip out of the wallet; exposing his name, address, number to any who would pick it up. "I hope you get lost or in trouble" grumbled the angry boy as he turned away, failing to notice a bunch of shady figures pick up the slip. The figures were both dressed in expensive looking clothes, with dark shades as they smirked at one another with a look of recognition of Derek before slowly vanishing back into the crowd._

_He was interrupted as the screaming boy pointed up at him with an accusing finger, tears streaming down his cheek as he accused "You don't even care don't you! Your always away, always gone and I get it now! You don't want to be around me! Y..you hate me" If he was older, then he'd realize he was being irrational but in his current childlike mind, he wasn't thinking clearly or didn't care as he then grumbled "Well..I..I..i hate you too"._

_Jack put his hands to his mouth in horror at hearing himself say those dreaded words. No, no..no he could never hate his father. He was young, impulsive, wild…he was extremely emotional and weak, but he could never hate his father for always trying his best with his son. "Don't say that" The older Jack begged to his younger self, reaching out with a shaky hand towards the boy; knowing he couldn't see nor hear him and yet..wanting to do something, anything!_

_That seemed to hit it hard towards Derek, as he took a step back as if he had been hit below the belt. Too hear that his son, his own flesh and blood; hated him…really tore through him as he mumbled "I..I don't hate you son…I could nev..". He loved his son. The anguish and grief that Jack must be feeling in order to say such a thing must be incredible. He was doing this for his son's future, so that way he'd be able to be more successful than he is. That was his father's dream. Reaching out tenderly to hug his son, he blinked hurt as his son stepped away from him. _

"_Leave me alone..just leave me alone! You don't want to be around me anymore, you care m..more about your job than me. It's like I don't exist! I..I HATE YOU! I WISH YOU WERE DEAD" screamed the distraught, hurt boy; wanting his dad to feel the pain he was causing him!_

_SMACK!_

_The boy fell onto his rear in pain, rubbing his now aching cheek as he looked up at his stone faced father; who shook his head in disappointment towards his son, and himself. The anger subsided as Derek looked at his hand, slightly disgusted with what he had done. Silently taking his wallet, he turned towards where his plane awaited as he muttered softly "Goodbye son…". And with that, he left the boy knowing his relatives would take him back home._

"_Poor old Jack refused to talk with his father after that. Any attempt the following months to communicate with his son, to let him know how sorry he was; it was met with silence" The double ganger pointed out. Walking back and forth, he explained "The silly little pride of Jack kept him from going out of his way to give his father another chance in order to make up for all of the times he was let down"._

_Rarity stared at Jack in shock of this. He had claimed he had loved his father, and had never mentioned this to her, or anypony. Was it because of how ashamed he was about how he acted the last time he had seen his father?_

_The clone grinned as he spoke "Now, what's say we fast forward a few months eh"? As the scene changed, it shifted now to a cemetery, the sky clouded in shadow and darkness as it slowly rained. The gang watched as a grave appeared before them, as the young Jack sat before it; head lowered as his hair hide his tears that fell with the rain. The grave spouted the words: DEREK CONNER._

_Jack snuck to his knees, not wanting to relive this again. No, never again. He couldn't take it. "Stop it…stop it" Jack moaned, his voice sounding disconnected from reality as he stared blankly at his feet. He watched as the clone did not stop, as he in fact continued his speech as if he was enjoying the misery that appeared in Jack's eyes. _

"_You see, those men that took Derek's address? Let's just say that when Derek was a few year older then Jack; he got his high school sweet heart knocked up, and went to some people that could..help" he emphasized. Watching the ponies expression's mix between awe, and sadness; the clone then snorted "Derek got the money to help himself, and his girlfriend take care of their soon to be born child; but after he was born; they wanted some favors". Before Jack had been born, Derek had to find a way to support himself, his wife, and his soon to be born son. _

_Shrugging, he cackled "Derek did them of course, but when they got more and more dangerous to the point where they wanted him to kill…that's when he ran…" as he dumped a scribbled not at Jack's feet. Shaking a finger, he chuckled "Oh they didn't like that. Not one bit"._

_Looking down at the note, Jack slowly unfolded it as it read "__**THINK TWICE BEFORE CROSSING US"**_. _Shivering, he clenched his fist angrily as the mafia who had been looking for his dad; the day he had double crossed them. They had killed him…because of what he did…_

"_The day after his birthday was the last time he saw his father alive. And you wanna know the best part" The clone asked for dramatic pause. Whirling around, he pointed at the trembling boy. "It's all his fault. Had he not thrown his father's address in spite, the mafia wouldn't have found him..he might even still be alive…in the end, I guess Jack got his wish when he wished for death on his Papa" mocked the clone._

_Looking at Jack, Rarity suddenly found herself understanding a lot more about Jack and why he acted the way he did. The guilt that he must feel, thinking that he was the one had killed his father…it must be overwhelming. Trotting up to him, she tenderly reached out to give him a hug; but jumped back as Jack shot up snarling._

"_RRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH" Jack screamed furiously, his rage awakened at this horrid memory being resurrected by the sadistic bastard that stood in front of him. His fist ignited as Jack got to his feet, and launched himself at the monster. Aiming at his abdomen, he wanted to make the bastard hurt as his fist struck at air as the clone jumped up over his punch, and sent Jack flying backwards from a kick to the chin._

"_Ooh, boo hoo you big baby" mocked the clone in false sympathy. Floating into the air, he looked down at the group curiously as he questioned "So there you have it! The truth about Jack. And guess what! Do you know what time it is" he asked as he looked down at his wrist as if checking a watch. His body exploding back into the dragon/dinosaur form, whilst a cruel sneered slowly started to etch over his features. Tensing his body, the creature grunted and groaned as slowly his back started to expanded and bulge like something was trying to erupt from it. As the bulge pushed against his skin, he grinned as he let out a victorious sneer as the skin exploded; revealing dozens of waving tentacles!_

"_IT'S LUNCH TIME" cackled the beast with glee. Almost as if having a mind of their own, the tentacles shot out and went for the mane six. This immediately caused panic, as they turned to run but were far too slowly for the lighting speed of the tentacles; wrapping around the tiny creatures bodies and dragging them towards the monster. Sneering down, the representation for all of Jack's hate, malice, and other undesirable features gripped at his chest with his powerful claws. Moaning, he let out a sight of glee as he ripped open his chest; revealing a mouth of jagged teeth._

_The girls immediately started to scream at this, as some of them like AJ and Rainbow Dash struggled for freedom. Disapproving of this, the tentacles swung wildly back and forth before driving the two ponies against the ground, stopping any further revolts. _

"_Muawha, did you really think that such puny revolts would be enough to stand against my power" The monster asked the ponies seriously, wondering if they were simply stupid, or too stubborn to give up. _

"_OOof, you'd better take care of me now buster cause when I get free; you're really gonna get it" Rainbow Dash swore to the creature, as she flapped her wings rapidly to try and give herself leverage to get out. This seemed to be of little use as instead as she was lifted up high into the air and smashed against the ground once more, inciting a cry of pain._

_Twilight, gasped as she was raised above the rows of jagged teeth; panicked "Because we're not a part of the dream/nightmare; anything that happens to us here will carry over! Jack, help! We can really get killed by this beast" Twilight shouted to the shivering Jack who was staring up at the creature in a mixture of fear and shock._

"_Pah! As if he can do anything at all to save you" Mocked the monster, bringing Twilight close. "Once he's gone, I think I'll assume control of his mind and henceforth; assume control of his body. That way, I will be the one calling the shots whilst you all stay here forever. And as for Jack..well, I think he could stand to give into his other side abit more often"._

_Jack meanwhile was shivering in fear at the sight of this, making himself a completely open and easy target for the malevolent beast. Looking down shaking, he tried to control his breathing since helping with ones breathing could calm down his heart, and yet he was unable to stop shaking at the terror that was befalling him and his friends._

_Rarity, noticing the monster was distracted, glared down at the tentacle that had her trapped. She had to help Jack snap out of it! She wasn't as strong in magic Twilight was, but was certain she could do something! Closing her eyes, she focused her magic from her horn to produce fire! Seconds later, a tiny ball of fire emerged as she touched it against the tentacle. Groaning, she licked her lips with anticipation as she put more energy into it. Gasping as she felt the pressure around her waist release, she dropped down and galloped towards Jack. Sliding next to him, she started to roughly shake his shoulders. "Jack! Snap out of it! If you don't our friends will be killed" yelled the distraught unicorn._

_Her words seemed to fall on deaf ears as Jack started to mumble quietly to himself "My fault…all of this is my fault..If I hadn't done what I did all those years ago, my father would still be alive. I wouldn't have turned out this way…He's right…I'm a murderer" Jack moaned softly, as he spoke with a disconnected voice._

_Rarity couldn't believe what she was hearing as she responded "That's not true Jack. What happened wasn't your fault". _

_Now Jack started to freak, as he gripped the sides of his head tightly as he closed his eyes, as if wanting to shut out all. Denying everything that Rarity was saying; he became hysterical as the events of what had happened, and what was happening was too much for him to bear at once as he shouted "NO! IT'S MY FAULT! DO YOU HEAR ME! MY FA.."!_

_*SLAP*_

_Rarity started at the frozen Jack as he held his pulsating cheek where she had slapped him, having snapped him out of his daze. Grabbing his shoulders, she spoke sincerely "You were young, and you had every right to be mad. You were not the one who killed your father, it was those men that did it. They were the ones"._

"_Bu..but if it hadn't been for me, then I.." Jack started to protest as he was silenced by a hug._

"_What happened was unfortunate, but it was an accident that you surely regret. Do you think that your father would want you to be depressed about this every day? That he would want you thinking that you were responsible for what happened to him? No, he would want you to move on and live your life. You may think that because of what happened that you're now alone but that's not true" Rarity explained as she pulled away and gave him a heartfelt smile that revealed how she felt. _

"_Your friends care for you..I…I care for you" spoke Rarity as when she hugged him once more, she gently placed a kiss on his cheek. _

_That seemed to snap Jack out of his depressed state as he stared ahead in shock at from what he had heard, and from what Rarity had done. Touching his cheek, he thought to himself "What..what is this? She kissed me? Why would she"? _

_Any other thoughts were interrupted as Rarity let out a scream as she was grabbed by her tentacle and lifted up high above the ground once again. Struggling rapidly, she looked down and gasped; letting out a cry of fear as she slowly but surely was being dragged down towards the open maw of the monster._

"_Ha! As amusing as that diversion was; I think I'll just kill you all" grinned the monster._

_Jack blinked as he watched the ponies with horror, about to be dropped as he slammed his fist into the ground. Darn it! He had to help them! Closing his eyes in silent frustration, he thought about his father and what Rarity said. Perhaps he would be able to forgive himself someday, but it would take time. Rarity was right, the visions that the monster had shown him was just trying to make him upset. He had to help!_

_But how? If only this dream…this dream… Freezing, he than remembered as he looked up as recognition slowly started to appear in his eye. Slapping his forehead out of shock from his own stupidity, he thought "A dream…this is nothing more than a dream..or nightmare. Either one, it doesn't matter because..if this is a dream then I can"…_

_Looking down at his feet, he closed his eyes as he pictured himself floating in the air, feeling weightless as his body moved in complete free motion as he was no longer restricted by gravity. Opening his eyes, he looked down as a grin split his features as he could see himself floating a few feet in the air. Floating..he was floating! Looking up focused, he deiced to capsize on this moment as he flew forward towards the dragon; staring at his fist as he leaned back and aimed it at the monster belly. "TAKE THIS" Jack shouted, driving it into his abdomen._

"_GAAAAH" The monster shouted in pain, as he looked down to see the boy's fist on fire as the force from the blow sent him flying backwards as he crashed into the ground. Groaning as he slowly pulled himself up from skidding, he gasped at the sight of Jack. His entire body was in flames! His clothes had turned to bright red, his palms held twin swords made out of fire..even his hair seemed to be fire; giving him a rather intimidating and cool look. _

_The ponies all around stared in amazement at this sudden amount of power, realizing that in here they're powers were limited because they were merely guest. In here, Jack was essentially a god! The entity before him had been attempting to discourage him, and distract him to the point where he could forget. But it seemed clearly that wasn't the case anymore, since Jack appeared to be in control._

_Jack looked over himself in amazement, having a hard time believing how much power he had in this world. But then again in a nightmare turned lucid dream, his power was as strong as what he thought up or want. By remembering this, he seemed to regain control of himself!_

"_You're an intruder" Jack growled low, watching as the monster's smug appearance had dissolved into fear. "This is my world…my dream! In here, I'm in control. You thought that if you could distract me from this knowledge; you'd be able to consume me" stated Jack low as he raised his swords up. "But no more. If I want my friends to live, they live. If I want to wake up, then I will wake up…and If I want you to die". Stating this, he kicked his heels as he threw himself at the monster._

"_THEN YOU DIE" Jack declared as he brought the fire swords up high, and slashed them through the monster; as a trail of blaze seemed to appear on the monsters chest from where he had slashed. Turning around, Jack ignored the screams from the monster as he started to dig his sword into the creatures back as he used it to bring himself up to the back of his neck!_

"_S..STOP! YOU CAN'T" protested the monster!_

"_LEAVE MY WORLD FOREVER" Jack cried, as his twin swords sliced off the head of the creature; the representation of his guilt, anger, and negative feelings slowly vanishing bit by bit as the head fell from the body. As it collapsed, it started to slowly break apart into bits as well; being drawing back into Jack as he landed silently. Looking up, Jack closed his eyes as he wished to leave this world and wake up. As if sensing this wish, a bright light engulfed him and his friends upon the defeat of the monster as they vanished within it. _

Awareness returning to him, Jack lifted his head up as he rubbed his forehead. His head was pounding like crazy as he looked around as he tried to remember where he was. Blinking, he gasped as he remembered everything! Seeing his friends get up, he looked to his left as his eyes locked with Rarity. Thinking about what she had done for him back in the dream, how she had..kissed him suddenly made him feel…strange around her. As he opened his mouth to say something, he felt eyes on him as he slowly turned to the others who all were staring at him with a mixture of happiness, shock, and…amusement?

"…What" Jack asked, as he was than barraged with questions. As he started to answer them slowly, his eyes glanced back over at Rarity; finding himself unable to not do anything else. It was really weird and…why was he suddenly feeling shy around her?

_**Yup, Jack is finally catching on! I appreciate all reviews, and wish for honesty for this chapter since I really wanted to redeem myself for last week. Hopefully, it's much better. Thank you all! Spring break is right around the corner. If I don't update during Spring break, then I must assuredly will after it. See you all later **_


	18. Chapter 18

_**Disclaimer: Well, I think last week's chapter was a lot better than the one before. Now that the romance for Rarity in Jack is in the open, and Jack is finally starting to catch on; this should be very interesting! As always, I don't own My little pony and special thanks to: **_

_**Chapter 18: Conflicting Emotions**_

What's wrong with me!

That question had been stuck in Jack's mind as he paced back and forth in the guest room of Rarity's home. It had been a few days since what happened when the gang had taken a look inside his mind, and saw his past. Whilst they were happy for him, they were also abit uncomfortable since Jack had essentially lied to them about him always getting along with his dad, the things he had said and how he had acted. They didn't flat out ignore him, but whenever he talked to them; they seemed distant.

All of them save for Rarity.

Aggh! There he went again! Thinking about her! Infact, he had been unable to do anything else but think of Rarity. She was really fun to talk to, someone he liked to share how he felt and..somepony he could talk to. He saw her as a great friend since she seemed to stick by him no matter what, even after what had happened, and yet when she had kissed him on the cheek; it felt…right..WHY THE HELL DID IT FEEL RIGHT?

Grabbing the sides of his forehead in frustration, he let out a growl of irritation; slumping down onto the bed as he glared at the wall; thinking of her. Was it possible that because of that kiss, that he was actually starting to develop…feelings for her? He had been thinking of this thought a month ago, he'd probably immediately have stuck out his tongue in disgust; but now..now he was feeling conflicted about how it should feel. As he sat up, he than thought about how Rarity always seemed to be hugging him, smiling at him; comforting him. Did she have..feelings for him!

"No..no she couldn't.. I mean why the hell would she" he argued with himself, shaking his head at the ridiculous idea. Nothing like that would work at all, firstly cause..well the obvious: SHE'S A FREAKING UNICORN! He's a human. It would be just..wrong. "Sides, it'd be considered bestiality if we were too…or would it? I mean, she's sentient, we speak the same language; and she's able to think for herself and isn't some mindless animal. So maybe it would be an excepti…Auggh! Why am I actually debating this"!

Slamming his fist against the bed, his head shot up as if a light bulb had just gone off! Wait a minute! He had it! She was messing with him! Yeah, that was it! All this affection, and paying attention was just a ploy for a cheap laugh at her expense! Yes, he knew it! To think he actually considering that she had romantic feelings for him! Ha ha ha!

Satisfied, he got up pumped as he declared "In fact, I'll go and tell her now that her plan won't work! Her liking me is nothing more than a cheap gag, and I'm so gonna be sure to tell her off"! Looking around rapidly; he rushed out the door, a sense of satisfaction running through his head as he grinned "Hahaha! I've figured it out! Your plan to trick me has failed"! Rushing out the door, his eyes scanned the passing crowd of POnyville as he wondered where she was. Putting a hand to his head, he thought to himself "Hmm…she left an hour or so ago, but where was she going"?

Spotting Pinkie Pie hopping through the crowd, Jack charged towards her to get her attention. "Pinkie Pie" he called over to her, hoping that she would be able to help him.

Pinkie looked up as she heard her name being called! Turning to face the caller, a smile etched her features. Despite finding out about how Jack lied, she could understand why he would lie since if he had told how it had really happened with his dad; than he was worried that they would have judged him. She couldn't say the same for others though like Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight. "Hiya Jack, what's..OOF" she gasped as the human tackled her to the ground.

Leaning over her, a determined look in his eye; Jack emphasized "Where…is…Rarity"?

Surprised by this, Pinkie smiled weakly; averting her eyes to the left and right as she thought of a response "Ahh, I think Rarity said that she was going to go to into the market to do some shopping. Why"?. Pinkie raised a brow curiously as she noticed how nervous he became at that question, as he got up and started looking around as if trying to decide upon an escape route. Seeing the huge blush on his cheeks, Pinkie started to giggle as she got up; and teasingly nudged his side. "Heh heh, go get her" she smiled, remembering the blush on his cheek when Rarity had kissed him.

"Sh..Shut up! It..it's not like that! I..I;'m not" he called to the departing earth pony. Grumbling, Jack turned around to locate Rarity. Stomping into the market, he glanced back to where Pinkie had left; now in a more foul mood then before. He wasn't interested in her! Why..she..she wasn't even in the same social class as he was! She's a princess, he's street trash. She's a diva, he's an outcast! So, for that matter why would she be interested in someone like him? "I mean sure, she's nice, generous, kind, sweet, she smells great, has a lovely mane and…Grrrr" Jack growled at himself as he continued to move through the crowd.

"Oggh..darn it! Watch it" Jack snapped, shaking his fist at an Earthpony who had spilled soda on his shirt. "Crud, just got that washed "remarked the human. Turning around, he scanned the crowd slowly before feeling like something had just paralyzed his legs. There, buying some hair spray; was Rarity. Feeling his heart starting to beat faster and faster, Jack clutched it as he grunted "She's just a unicorn. A freaking unicorn..your a human…it would never work…just go and tell her this". Forcing his legs to move, he could feel sweat going down his brows as he started to call out.

"He...hey…Ru..Ru..Rar..rity" He stuttered towards her, in a soft-spoken voice. Slapping himself across the cheek, he remarked aloud "You kidding? You' can't speak to her now without stuttering"! Standing up straighter, Jack marched up behind the unsuspecting Unicorn as he tapped her on the shoulder.

Blinking Rarity turned around, and felt her heart race at the sight of Jack who looked..mildly displeased with her. Curious on this, she greeted "Hello Jack, how are you doing today"? Observing him closer, she could see his fist were constantly twitching, he was sweating from his brows and looked like he was having a hard time speaking.

"Don't play games with me! I know what you're up to" Jack declared to the unicorn, pointing an accusing finger at her with a sense of satisfaction that he was about to lay her plans bare before him and the world.

"What I am up to" Rarity questioned, clearly confused by this.

"You like like me" Jack accused her, somehow finding that accusation more satisfying in his head. Watching her expressions shift to confusion, to relief he thought with a grin "Heh heh yes that's it! Your plan to mess with me, and make me confused has failed". "Like like, really" he asked himself, finding that not really what it was cracked up to be.

"Well yes, of course I do Jack" Rarity smiled to him.

"AHA! SO YOU ADMIT IT" Jack grinned in victory as he pumped his fist into the air! "I KNEW IT! THIS WAS NOTHING MORE THAN A PLOY! HAHAHA" he shouted, ignoring all the strange looks he was receiving from the crowd. Turning around to face Rarity, he declared "So it's true! YOU DO LIKE LIKE ME"!

Seeing how he was acting, Rarity smirked as she had a pretty good idea what this was about as she placed a hoof against her hip and asked "And"?

Any sort of argument or victory statement that Jack had been planning ,died in his mouth. Lowering his finger, he stated "Ahh..well ummm…you…err…". Trying to recover, he said "..it wouldn't work out between us; even if we did try..and…besides..I don't have any feelings for you at all. So..yeah". Turning away, he crossed his arms in stubbornness.

Ordinarily, Rarity would get upset upon such a deceleration, yet she could tell a lie when she heard one. Whilst his lips said one thing, his body seemed to say another due to the twitching in his feet, constant moving of his fingers, sweat coming from his brows and his eyes looking around at a rapid pace. Chuckling at his obvious shyness, she trotted up behind him "Are you sure you're not attracted to me..or are you perhaps in denial" she asked with a teasing tone.

" no! I am not in denial" Jack snapped, whirling around to face her as he tried to use his anger to cover up his obvious denial. "I am just stating a simple fact! A relationship between you and I wouldn't work on several things! One, you're a unicorn and I'm a human. Need I say more" he begun as he started counting down the reasons on his fingers. "Two, your of high social class and I'm considered street trash. Finally, your personality is of diva princesses and mine is of a hot headed idiot; we're nothing alike so we wouldn't match up".

"Opposites can attract you know. Sometimes those with nothing in common at all can find happiness with each other. Besides, we do have some things in common" Rarity smiled gently as she listed off some things. "Both of us can be stubborn, need I say more" she began as she started to trot back and forth. "We both our protective of our friends. Neither of us ever give up. We're both kind, gentle when we want to be, encouraging, and…".

"Alright alright I get it. So we have some things in common, so what? That doesn't mean I'm interested in you" Jack snorted, as he stubbornly continued to deny his feelings for Rarity.

Putting a hoof to her chin as she tried to think of a way to get Jack to open up, she smiled wide as an idea popped into her head. Turning around, she smirked "Well then, how about we make a little deal on that since I don't believe you"? Watching him turn around to face her, she declared "If by the end of today I can't get you to admit that you have feelings for me, than I will simply drop it and we shall never speak of it again".

"Albright, and If you can supposedly get me to admit it" Jack asked sternly.

An impish smile etched onto her face, as she whispered into his ear a sentence that he really didn't want her to say.

"We have to go on a date than" she whispered with an almost foxish grin.

Jack felt like his eyes were about to lunge out of their sockets from such a request as he looked around nervously as if trying to decided which route was the best to escape, as he turned back to the still smirking unicorn. Looking up as he thought of it, he smirked as he declared "Fine! You're on! I just hope you won't be too disappointed when we don't go out on a date" he swore as he shook her hoof to seal the deal.

"Ah don't know girls, I mean he had no real reason to lie to us, and ah don't really appreciate not knowing the truth" Applejack admitted to Twilight and Rainbow Dash. She was currently doing some apple bucking on Sweet Apple Acres, and was discussing with her friends about what happened with Jack. He was really proud, and seemed to pride himself on not needing help and yet when they had to battle against the nightmare that had been plaguing him; he needed help yet it turned out that some of what he had told them hadn't been true.

Twilight and Rainbow had both thought about it, and although they didn't like being lied to; they tried to see if they could see it from Jack's side and sort of understood why he did what he did. The problem was now that Applejack being how she was the element of harmony, absolutely detested lying so it was hard for them to bring her around to understanding from Jack's side of the story.

"He wasn't doing it to be mean Applejack. Maybe he did it for a good reason" Twilight tried to reason, watching as the stubborn pony kicked at another tree hard, her subtle temper seeming to rise with every kick.

"Yeah! I mean, maybe he felt embarrassed since it turns out that he wasn't exactly as cool as he said he was" Rainbow Dash stated tactlessly, receiving a stern glare from Twilight as she chuckled weakly in response "Oh..heh heh, sorry".

"It doesn't matter what it was. Ah don't like being lied to, why didn't he trust us enough to tell the truth? We were honest with him about us, and we weren't trying to impress nopony" AJ insisted, not wanting to give up her side so easily. As she finished with another powerful kick, she paused to muse "Why would he lie to us like that"?

Twilight looked down at her hooves, wondering what she should say as an idea came into her head. Feeling saddened by the idea, she offered "I think I know why now…I think Jack felt ashamed".

That snapped Applejack out of her thoughts, as she turned around stunned; asking "W..Whut"?

Knowing she now had her attention, Twilight explained "We all saw what happened between Jack and his father the last time he had seen him alive. I think what happened was that after Jack realized what happened to his dad, he convinced himself that it was his fault. He then started to feel..ashamed of what had happened, and lied because he was afraid…".

"Afraid? What could he possibly have to fear" Rainbow Dash snorted, although she was clearly being affected by this as well.

"He had just made friends with us, and maybe he felt that we wouldn't look at him ever the same for what had happened, and how he had acted…so it caused him to lie in order to keep us from finding out the truth" offered a concerned Twilight.

"Huh? I wouldn't have judged him. I'd be confused at first yeah, but I wouldn't think any less of him for what happened" Rainbow Dash protested quickly, shaking her head as she started to see more from Twilights side. She had been willing to let go of what had happened with Jack and him lying to her, but now she was more willing since she believed that he had a legitimate reason..that is if that was his legitimate reason.

Applejack blinked as she had not considered that possibility before. The guilt that Jack musta felt for feeling like he was responsible for his dad's death must have been so great that he exaggerated on how well he got along with his dad, and thus lied about how he died in order to get rid of the guilt that plagued him.

"Ah..never really thought about it like that" AJ admitted to the others, showing that she was aware but that didn't mean that she was gonna be so easily forgiving. "Just because of that doesn't mean I'm gunna forgive him right away" warned the earth pony, receiving a nod from Twilight and Dash.

"So do you have any tales of heroism Jack" Rarity asked nonchalantly as the two of them walked through Ponyvilles Park. They had decided that the best way for them to spend the day together was for a little walk; talking abit more about themselves. Rarity had been bugging Jack a lot ever since about what sort of things he did for others, or if he ever really displayed heroism before coming to Equestria. "I'm certain that you must have at least done something" Rarity continued to insit as she looked at him curiously, watching Jack roll his eyes in annoyance.

Jack was covering up his attractiveness towards her with his stubbornness, irritation and possible anger and so far it seemed to be working against her questions, but it could only get him so far and he was sure that Rarity was going to be able to see through him soon. Deciding to play along with her questioning, he thought up a situation as he nodded "Yeah, I got something. Back when I was still in high school, one of my old friends Matthew Petrelli; was getting hassled by some bullies; Nick Cunningham and Roger Taylor".

"We're you and Matt really good friends" Rarity questioned.

"Uh huh, we had been friends ever since we were kids. I don't know what happened to him or where he is right now since most of my old friends ended up moving away. But anyway, Matt was getting messed with by these two seniors; Nick and Roger. They had a tendency to find humor in picking on those who were smaller/weaker than themselves. Real scumbags" Jack explained in slight anger since he had a real hatred for bullies.

Sensing the angry tone in his voice, Rarity could see that he really seemed to dislike bullies and was somewhat surprised that humans had bullies. But then again, she supposed that she shouldn't really be surprised since from how Jack had described humans all being different, that there were bullies. "Well, what did you do to them? Did you do to them what you did to the nightmare" Rarity asked, trying to lighten Jacks spirits.

Chuckling in response, he snorted "Nahh, I couldn't really get away with that since I was at the time already gotten alotta detentions, and a suspension. I'd have gotten expelled. Soo, I decided to do the next best thing: humiliate them for Matt". As they stopped under a tree, Jack leaned against the trunk as he sat down; watching as Rarity sat next to him as well.

"Humiliate them? However did you do that" she questioned.

"Easy" boasted the human as he kicked his feet back and started to relax. "I spotted them hassling Matt one day, and decided that it was time to mess back. So, went to my locker and got a waterballon filled with paint. That was the first part of the humiliation; get their attention". Using his hands to mimic what he had done that day, he smirked "Then what happened next was that I called them over; insulting them to get them away from Matt. Backed up, and right when they walked around the corner…splat! They were both covered in pink paint! Ha ha"! Loosening up abit, Jack laughed aloud at the memory and the pissed off faces of the two bullies.

"The paint had completed coated them! Their hair, skin, clothes; everything" Jack smirked lightly as he turned to Rarity. "Needless to say, they were mighty pissed off after that".

Rarity covered her hoof to keep herself from laughing hard, as she held her stomach lightly with another hoof; watching as Jack seemed to be letting go of his worry as she smirked "Whatever did you do next"?

"What else could I do? I had gone and ticked off two of the most notorious bullies to ever plague my high school, and since I was forbid from fighting..at least in public, did the next best thing: I ran" Jack admitted, since that didn't exactly sound really cool to be running away from danger. Remembering what he did next, he smirked "But it was worth it since I led those shit heads trough a wild chase throughout the school; tripping them up and causing more destruction to the school".

Rarity looked away as she tried to picture this in her head; trying to image the thought of what a grinning Jack running down some hallways, with two large humans; their faces beat red chasing after him whilst covered in pink, pretty paint. Unable to stop a giggle, she beamed "Hmm hmm, that does sound rather funny actually".

"Heh yeah…wonder what ever happened to Matt though, cause I haven't seen him in a really long time" Jack mused as he put a hand to his chin, his eyes suddenly gazing off as if he was now in another world of some sort. "Hmm…" Jack said, suddenly becoming saddened as he thought about how all of his friends that he had ever really made had gone and disappeared on him.

Seeing his sudden mood change, Rarity thought hard as she tried to think of something to counter his story so that way he wouldn't feel discouraged or nothing. Getting an idea, she smiled as she noted "Well you did do the right thing for your friend Matt, if abit childish; but still sticking up for ones friends is a worthy thing indeed..why, I had to do that myself a while ago" Rarity smiled to the human.

"Yeah, in the place that has no pro…oh wait, never mind" Jack grumbled as he remembered his discussion with Applejack that they had bullies, and ner-do-wells here as well. "Still, probably not as bad as Earth…nowhere near Earth I bet" he snorted to himself as he decided to humor the unicorn. Raising a brow, he asked "Alright? How so"?

"Well, you remember the pony Fancypants that I spoke of? Well, when I had visited Canterlot; he had requested that I make some designer clothes for him, and his associates. Whilst I was doing it, I started to fit in more and more with the elite crowd of Canterlot and started to find myself enjoying their company, even if a few of them were..what you called..snobs".

"And..hows that sticking up for your friends" Jack questioned, now starting to dislike this conversation less and less as time went on because of his particular dislike for the snobbish rich and elite that found joy in putting down others who were less fortunate then they were.

"Well, it just so happened that week, it was Twilights birthday. But I couldn't be in two places at once. It seemed trouble but then the entire gang came to visits me. I couldn't believe that they would go to the trouble to make sure that I wasn't left out" Rarity smiled happily at the memory as she continued "Anyway, I had been invited to Fancypants party, at the exact same time I was with Twilight and the others. At the time, I didn't want to lose my status and kept jumping back and forth between parties" Rarity explained.

"Really? I'd imagine that musta been pretty hilarious" Jack snorted, as that sounded sorta cliché like a show he had seen once where the character wanted to hide the truth from two groups; jumping back and forth between parties".

"Mm, mmm it was amusing. Eventually however, my new elite friends had discovered that I was friends with a group of ponies from a "hick" town like Ponyville" stated Rarity with annoyance at such a statement from her new friends. "Now put on the spot, I wasn't about to deny that they were my best friends. If I was to lose my new status, and friends just for not being like everypony else..then so be it. I wasn't going to deny where I was from nor who I was friends with" proclaimed a proud Rarity, as she than giggled lightly.

"Well I have to say I'm impressed since that's not really something I would expect from a pony like you. All drama and no modesty is what I thought when I first met" said a tactless Jack as he watched Rarity chuckle at his lame attempt to insult her.

"Hmm yes, and I first though that your were a shaved monkey with no tail" Rarity retorted as she turned to face the human.

"That so? Well I guess I seriously disappointed you than but you did sort of meet my expectations when I figured you for the typical girl" snorted Jack as he faced her now and leaned in close to exaggerate further on his heatless insult.

"And you met my expectations of being abit of a brute with a heart of gold, and yet at the same time not fooling anypony with the tough guy façade" she smiled softly as she leaned in closer as well.

Putting on a mock hurt face, Jack pouted "Careful Rarity, I'm not someone who should be mocked since you know very well what I'm capable of".

"Oh yes I know. Apart of me would flee immediately, yet another part of me is curious on what you would do to me exactly? It leaves me wondering what I can do" Rarity responded.

"What indeed" Jack whispered lightly. It than came to Jacks notice on how close they had become, to the point where their foreheads were not lightly touching one another; lips centimeters away from each other as whatever spell that Jack had been placed under in the moment was broken. Pulling away, he blushed as he then stammered "Ahh I mean, well yes I mean its best not to umm..er..pis..piss me off".

Rarity barely managed to hide her hurt at how close that they had come to kissing, and thus making Jack admitting he had feelings for her but at the last second he had managed to pull out. Thinking hard, she turned away as she smiled almost in an almost sultry manner. "Well I suppose a few more methods to make him admits feelings for me exist, in a more..less then subtle way". Turning back to Jack, she than put on a false smile.

"Jaccck, what would you say to a little race" she asked with an innocent smile, and yet her tone suggested something not so innocent.

"Race huh? Uhh, sure whatever " Jack remarked, still trying to reclaim control over himself.

"Excellent, let's just tha…ooh, would you look at this flower? How lovely" she noted as she turned away and bended over to examine the rose closer, her flank in Jacks face as she had to suppress a seductive smirk from etching over her face.

Jack gasped as when he turned to stare, he held his nose as he could feel blood building up and almost bursting through his nose; his cheeks flushing red as he tried to turn away so he couldn't look and yet..found his eyes unable to turn away from that lovely, ro..GAAAH! GOOD GOD, HE HAD A SICK MIND!

"Here, isn't it pretty Jack" Rarity asked, showing it to him as she could see him holding his hands over his nose, as he looked completely flustered. Resisting the urge to giggle evilly, she simply settled for smiling at the human.

"Ahh, ..very pretty. Let's umm..begin this race" Jack stated, wanting to get any perverted thoughts out of his head right away as he bended down low next to Rarity, digging the heels of his shoes into the ground as he glanced at her. "I..I'll go easy since you're not an umm..athletic or umm..I mean..uhh".

"Not a really smart thing to do Jack. Readysetgo" she laughed, before taking off running; catching Jack completely by surprise. Glancing back as she watched him stumble afterwards, regaining more and more of his former confidence; she turned back away as she thought to herself of her plan. "Hmmm, make sure he gets close enough and then let nature take its course…very easy; and quiet lovely. I might get abit dirty, but it's worth it" she thought, blushing lightly at the thought she had in mind.

As Jack rushed to keep up with the unicorn, he sighed in heavy annoyance with himself for letting himself get distracted by the unicorn. Despite his nervousness around her, he really didn't want her to beat him since he was the one who was all about the winning! And it wouldn't really do him any justice if he lost to the diva! Putting more power into his legs, he dashed to keep up to her as he closed in on her easy. It seemed like she wasn't even making much of an attempt to really get away. If that was the case, then why did she even ask to race him in the first place? For laaaaaAAAU!

Jack gasped Rarity suddenly stopped in the middle of the race, as he was unable to stop himself from crashing into her! The two of them spun into a roll downhill, shouting all the way as Jack landed in a heap on his back; groaning "Aghhh..that..really wasn't..what I had been planning to…oh". He knew that he felt heavier as he looked up and could see Rarity leaning over him, her face inches away from his. Staring into her smile, his heart started to beat faster and faster as she gave him a look of concern.

"Oh dear, are you alright? I'm awful sorry" she apologized with a mock apology face and yet her tone suggested something else entirely. Blinking, she felt something bump against her bottom hoof as she looked down and chuckled lightly.

"Its umm..ah..quiet alright" Jack stuttered, nervous as hell from being so close to Rarity in such a compromising position. Following her gaze, he wanted to die right on the spot as his friend between his legs was apparently getting excited from all this. Closeting his eyes, Jack muttered "Dead kittens, old nuns, spiders, lots of spiders" anything that would make his friend calm down. Opening his eyes, he gasped as he felt Rarity kiss his cheek; brushing her furry cheek against his bare skin as his erection was completely risen.

"Well, can you say that you don't have feelings now" Rarity asked playfully to the human, seeing him sweat and blush.

Sure, he could deny it! Right here on the spot. But hell let's face it, what would be the point? He was around the other girls all the time, and yet he never got a hard on around them; yet with Rarity he did. That seemed proof enough that he was into her….and had lost now. Realizing he had been beaten, and that there was no way out; Jack groaned as he shouted what pretty much summed up how he was certain his life was gonna get with now going to get into a relationship.

AH SHIT!

_**Whelp, its now out in the open: Jack and Rarity are now gonna be a couple. Next chapter is gunna be the date between them, and the hilarity that follows. As always; Read and review. Cristism is accepted, but not flat out insults. **_


	19. Chapter 19

_**Disclaimer: I'm saddened to see that season 2 is almost done, but it pleases me to know that a season 3 is being planned so I don't have to worry to much. Though I wonder this to myself: back in the 80's they had human characters that weren't that developed in MLP. If they were to do it again nowadays, with a developed, fleshed out and relatable character; would it work? **_

_**Chapter 18: Dating a princess**_

"No no no, it's supposed to look like this" Scootaloo insisted as she pulled the bowtie around Jacks neck away; tighten it so hard that Jack was having a hard time breathing. Seeing his face turning blue, he pointed at his neck to indicate that he could hardly breathe. "Ooo, sorry Jack" she smiled weakly as she quickly pulled it back to help him breathe once more.

"No problem…gah..Scootaloo" Jack panted as he looked over himself in the mirror. Staring back was a black short sleeved, buttoned up red vest human with black pants and dress shoes. Since this was going to be a formal date "Rarity had asked for it" he reminded himself, he had to look well for this. To say that he was nervous as hell would be the understatement of the fuckin millennium since he had never been out on a real date before!

A few days had gone by since it was official that Jack and Rarity had feelings for one another, and word had spread to the mane six who of course had mixed feelings on the matter. They were supportive, though some abit more than others. He sorta wished they hadn't found out because ever since they did; they had been making a really big deal outta it and Jack really wished they weren't. So, here he was on the night of the date; the mane six minus Rarity downstairs waiting whilst the cutie mark crusaders had insisted on helping Jack with the bowtie since he really wasn't that good with it.

"Ummm, I dunno. Maybe it would be better if it were down abit more since its right around Jack's neck" Applebloom suggested to Sweetie Belle.

Deciding he didn't want to look too formal, Jack removed the bowtie as he tossed it aside in a huff. "Meh, nevermind. I don't need it" Jack shrugged gently as he looked down at the girls. Stepping back, he said "Ahh, how do you think I look"?

Receiving a collective amount of praise from the ponies, Jack blushed lightly as he turned away; his face red with worry as numerous thoughts was running through his mind at once. What if he said the wrong thing? What if he was supposed to act a certain way? Did she expect him to say something, do something? Good lord, what if he acts inappropriate!

"Jack? What's wrong" Sweetie Belle asked, seeing his nervousness. Watching as he turned back to face her with a false smile on his face, she frowned in disappointment "C'mon Jack, don't try and hide it"?

Jack frowned as he groaned "Rarity is..a really great girl, a pony that's really high class and…and I'm worried that I'm gonna screw this date up. I mean, I've never been on a date before". Lowering his head, he muttered "I hope that this goes well because…cause..".

"Ah don't worry so much Jack! You'll be fine" Applebloom grinned encouragingly.

"Yeah don't worry so much! Just go in there, acting like yourself" Sweetie Belle beamed in response.

"I'm not so sure about that…uh thanks anyway" Jack grumbled as he turned away, and went downstairs. He was supposed to meet Rarity at the Celestian Hoof, a really prestigious outdoor restaurant where the two of them would see if Jack was actually capable of not being an asshole on a date.

"OOoo, you look great Jack! I'm sure Rarity is gonna love what she sees! Not that she doesn't love you anyway, and it will be interesting to see you out with her, but I really really really REALLY think that your date is gonna go well. That's why you need too" Pinkie had immediately babbled at high speed, but was silenced as Applejack placed a hoof over her mouth to silence the hyperactive pony.

"Heh heh, what Pinkie means is that you look good, and that you're gonna do well" AJ nodded to the nervous looking human whose eyes were glancing around in constant motion as if trying to debate on whether or not he should flee. Despite her feelings about Jack's lie, she wanted to see Rarity happy since Jack was her first real date, and secretly hoped things would go well for him.

Twilight blinked as she asked "Jack, what's wrong"? Clearly he looked like he wanted to run away, and hide because of his constant sweating, twitching, eye movement and other clear signs.

Jack sat down as he grumbled "How can I possibly please Rarity? She's way too much of a princess, and advanced for someone like me". Looking up with sadness, he explained "She's a really good girl, I like her personality, she looks good, smell's good and I..well want to make things really right; and yet I can't help but be nervous that I'm gonna say something or do something really stupid. Hell, I don't want to screw..".

He was silenced this time by Rainbow Dash, who grinned "C'mon Jack, you need to be confident in yourself. I mean, you've got to be the most moxie person I've ever known apart from me. You've gone against hydras and dragons; so I think something like a date should seem really easy for you".

"Umm, I don't think you need to act a certain way" Fluttershy spoke softly, catching Jacks attention. Giving him an encouraging hug, she smiled "I think all you really need to do is be yourself, and everything will be alright".

"Be myself…have you met me" Jack asked in disbelief as he pulled away from the hug. Turning away, he groaned "Oh man, I'm really gonna muck this up! I just know it! If I go in acting like myself, all I'm gonna do is making an ass outta myself an.." he started to explain but froze as he looked up and caught sight of the clock.

"Oh shit! I'm late! I gottagoseeyoualllater" Jack shouted in alarm to the others, as he rushed out the door in a panic. Turning around, he let out a gasp as he collided with…Sid? "Uh heya Sid, what's up" Jack asked to the other human who he had not seen in awhile now. Come to think of it, Sid had kinda disappeared on him when Jack started to become friends with the mane six again. Wonder where he had been?

"Hey Jack…out on a date eh" Sid asked casually with a raised brow, as he looked the human up and down with displeasure at the thought of the human going out with the namby, pamby ponies. Physical, Sid actually was starting to look less and less chaotic. He now wore a plain blue t-shirt, with green jeans and yet he kept his grayish hair. "Well..good luck with that" snorted Sid, as he stepped aside. He'd let Jack have his fun for now…but soon..oh soon he would be ready…

"He's gonna blow it" Rainbow Dash started bluntly as soon as Jack had left. Turning to her friends, she frowned "He's way too nervous and uptight to think straight, and he's gonna mess up his date with Rarity because of it".

"Now now, you don't know that for certain Rainbow" Applejack countered.

"Yeah I know, but it's a really good chance now isn't it" Rainbow Dash shot back, as she started to pace back and forth; thinking hard stating "With Jack meeting Rarity at one of the most high class restaurants in Ponyville, Jack is not only gonna feel outta place; but feel completely at the mercy of whatever high strung, uppity pony that doesn't want someone like him around. We need to do something"!

"But what can we do? I mean, wouldn't it be best if we let Jack handle things on his own? I'm sure things would be just swe.." Pinkie started, but froze as her friends gave her a weird look. Thinking about it herself, a thought of Jack wolfing down his food, burping loudly and then punching a heckler in the chin crossed her mind. "That does sound like something he would do…yeah, we need to help him" Pinkie agreed.

"I have an idea" Twilight beamed as she gave a determined grin. "We go their ourselves, and go undercover! We keep an eye out for trouble, and make sure that Jack's date goes well! If any trouble happens, then we step in to make sure that the date gets back on track. We keep this up till the point where Jack won't need our help anymore" suggested the unicorn. Immediately met with praise for the idea, Twilight blushed as she then grinned "Alright then, here's the plan".

"Maybe she won't show up, than I can just go home and their won't be any trouble whatsoever. Agg, but if she does and I leave, then I'll be a real jerk" Jack twitched, eyes averting from one corner to the next in a panic. Standing outside the prestigious restaurant, he gently peaked inside to get a view of the place. Extremely fancy, with chandeliers hanging from the ceiling which had a painted mural of what looked like a creature shrouded in darkness standing on two legs as it pointed a sword at what looked like a beast that seemed to be a cross between a minotaur and a centaur. Ponies of expensive taste were all eating, and conversing amongst each other as a gentle sonnet from the piano was played.

"C'mon Rarity where are you? Awesome, she's not here! That means I can gooaaaaa…calm down chickenshit" Jack swore, bantering with himself to keep himself from going insane. But didn't talking to himself already show he was insane?

Looking down at his watch, his sanity seemed to snap for a moment as he let out a nervous laugh. "Welp ha ha, I guess she's not coming. Time to g..oh" Jack froze as he stared in shock at what he saw coming his way!

Rarity smiled gently at Jack, her deep violet dress with violet slippers that seemed to sparkle brightly as she approached the star struck human. Above her mane was a golden crown with a violet emerald in the middle of it, as she batted her eyes at the human in a seductive manner. Reaching Jack, she looked him up and down as she observed his outfit. "I must say Jack, you do look marvelous. How do you think I look" she asked, posing for him.

Staring in sweat, Jack's mouth reacted before his brain could catch up. "You look really sexy" Jack blurted out, clapping a hand over his mouth in embarrassment. Blushing, he coughed as he rebounded "I mean ermm…you look..really beautiful Rarity".

Blushing at the comments, she chuckled at his bashfulness, finding it both cute and hilarious that an outspoken, brash human like him was incredibly shy around her. "Hmm hmm, how nice of you to say so! Well than, shall we" she asked gently offering her hoof to take his hand.

Looking down, Jack talked to himself to keep him focused. "Okay c'mon, you can do this. You got this dude, you got this! For godsake, you can handle dangerous mobsters, dragons, hydras, and a freaking tentacle monster and yet you're gonna fold over this"?

Chuckling as Rarity took his hand, she gently led him inside as they were greeted by the sweet scent of scrumptious food. Inhaling as she let out a gleeful grin at the smell, she looked around eagerly for their table. Spotting one in the middle of the room, she led Jack towards it. Sitting down, she smiled "Well, I'm quiet glad that we were able to get a seat, aren't you"?

"Uhh, ye..ye..yeah. Let me get the waiter okay" he asked with a smile. Turning around towards the room, he shouted "HEY DOES ANYONE KNOW WHOSE A WAITER AROUND HERE"? That got the attention of everypony, all looking at him in shock as one of them pointed to himself; an appalled look on his face from Jacks lack of tact.

"Uhh, greetings sir and madam. Welcome. May I take your order" asked the waiter in an extremely high strung voice.

"Yeah dude, I'll have a hamburger, some fri.." Jack started as he froze at the look of utter confusion on the waiters, and Rarity's face.

"What is a hamburger" The waiter asked, having never heard of such a food before.

"Oh shit" he said softly to himself, as he suddenly remembered that he was in the presences of non-meat eaters. "Ahh, do you have any French fries" Jack asked lightly. Those were made from potatoes so they didn't count! Blushing, he grunted "Ummm…some rice would be nice too and…some carrots"? Receiving a nod, Jack sighed as he looked at Rarity who had a hurt look on his face. "Oh crud" he thought to himself in horror.

It was customary for the female to order first!

"Umm, I will have a hay sandwich, with a salad on the side" Rarity ordered, abit put off but recovering. Watching as the waiter took their orders, she smiled "So umm Jack, tell me how has your life been since living amongst us ponies"?

"Oh it's been a fuckin nightmare. One problem after another with me having to deal with ponies looking down on me just cause I'm not one, dealing with Ace, the dream thing. It's been…" Jack tactlessly stated before recovering "I mean umm, it's been difficult but I've been managing I think".

"Ahh yes, well umm…oooh look, here comes the breadsticks "Rarity laughed weakly as a waiter placed a basket of breadsticks down on the table. Using her magic to gently cut one, she was surprised as Jack immediately grabbed one and started to wolf it down; chewing loudly as she shivered lightly at his table manners.

Jack chewed loudly, as he was about to ask Rarity if she was feeling alright when suddenly he froze on the spot. His mouth shut, as he continued to chew and yet he couldn't open his mouth. Feeling some unknown force grip his hands, he opened his mouth as he contused to eat in a more acceptable manner, as if he was being moved like a puppet.

Hiding behind a large plant, was Twilight as she used her magic to keep Jacks eating habits more polite for Rarity, hoping he would get the message on his own since from what she had seen so far; Dash had been right. Jack needed help ASAP.

Seeing her uncomfortable look, Jack smiled weakly as he tried to think of something to lighten the situation. "Ahh, so what about you Rarity? How have you, ahem..liked having me around here" asked the human nervously.

Blushing, Rarity smiled "Well things certainly haven't been boring with you around Jack. It's been abit of an adventure actually, helping each other out, learning new things about each other. I must say I am rather pleased with how things have worked out. When you first came here, you were abit of a ummm…ahh..".

"An asshole" Jack offered the unicorn, receiving a chuckle from her as he nodded "Trust me, I haven't gone through a complete metamorphosis like this is some sorta fairy tale. I'm just less of one" joked the human. Sitting back, he stretched as he commented "Yup, things have sorta worked out abit better for me. Not like I was going anywhere back home with what my home life, and social life..or lack their of anyway".

Eyeing Rarity, he a softly smiled as he spoke in a gentler tone; showing some manners as he spoke "I gotta say, since the day I saved you I should have realized that you had feelings for me. Either I was blind or really stupid..probably abit of both. I don't know if this is going to work out well, but I'm going to try my best to see to it that it does. But I gotta ask you something".

Leaning forward, he pointed out "I'm a human being, and I can't use magic; plus I'm someone whose on a level that ranges somewhere between trash and something you'd find in your ear. Not trying to feel sorry for myself or nothing, but it's just an accurate representation of my background. None of those things bother you"?

Rarity could see what he was trying to do; cut himself down to see if she would react in a manner that would have her agree. Well, he wasn't gonna be so lucky as she leaned forward and countered "And I'm a unicorn, and I'm on level that may seem royalty to you. Does that bother you, since you make it clear that you hate the rich"?

She was now challenging him to see if he put her in the same demographic as what he was associated with. Backing down, Jack shook his head "No of course not. Your probably everything someone whose rich isn't; kind, sweet..incredibly generous. So I guess no, your nothing like the ones that I've come to know".

Giggling at the compliments, she said "Well then we should get along just fine. Not all of the super rich are as you think Jack, why take a look at the rulers of Equestria for example. Despite their status, they are really quiet nice".

"I guess so…where's that waiter? I'm getting hungr..eh" Jack blinked as suddenly something covered completely in flour trotted up to their table, as she spoke in a really fast pace in an almost sing-song tone "Hello, Hello, Helloooooo, I have a treat for you! I hope you have a really fun date, and end up in as couple so truuee". And with as fast as it had appeared, it had vanished in an almost cartoonish manner.

"What just happened now" Jack asked, recovering from the sudden whirlwind and disappearance of the pony covered in flour. Glancing down, he noticed that two pink cupcakes had been placed on the table from the mysterious pony. Glancing back at where she had vanished, he asked aloud "Huh that was weird".

Rarity however, immediately caught on as she giggled lightly in response to Jack's cluelessness. "It seems we have somepony who wishes our date to go well" she chuckled gently. Watching as the waitress approached with the food, she took a big sniff; grinning with glee at the wondrous scent of their food. "MMmmm, smells wonderful" she smiled happily.

""Yeah, let's just hope it taste wonderful" Jack retorted as he looked down at the plate of fries, rice, and carrots on his plate. Usually, he would ask for a steak, or a corndog but sadly he had to accept the whole non-meat thing here which was really gonna get to him; since he grew up eating stuff like that".

Rarity smiled down at her food, eager to try it. However before she could even take a bit, she was thrown off by the loud chewing from her date in front of her, as she gasped to see some food almost fly into her food. Looking up, she was surprised to see Jack wolfing down his fries, before digging into the rice. Giving him a sheepish smile, she blushed at how this was starting to get embarrassing. "Umm..Jack" she asked politely.

Jack looked up, as he asked aloud with food in his mouth "Yeah, what up Rarity", completely unaware that the thing that he was worried about doing, he was doing since he figured to treat this like any meeting with a friend and yet didn't realize he had to be more polite. However, it seemed that somepony was too his rescue as suddenly his mouth closed by itself as he swallowed. Seeing her uncomfortable look, he thought "Ooo umm, maybe I should eat more quietly". Sipping down some juice with the same magic aura around his body, he suddenly took a handful of rice..and threw it in his own face.

"Go away" Twilight hissed as a fly continued to buzz around her head, as she was so focused now on getting rid of it that she failed to notice that her magic was still active, and controlling Jacks movements. Gasping as she regained control, Twilight slapped the side of her face in exasperation.

"Jack" Rarity asked with concern as she watched the boy continued to throw food in his face, and all over the room. Gasping as she ducked her head down to avoid getting rice in her hair, she watched as Jack finally stopped and became silent. Before she could ask him if he was alright, he shot to his feet and said that he would be right back as he rushed for the bathrooms.

Panting as he reached a stall, Jack sat down as he slapped himself twice across the face. "What the hell was that? This date is a disaster! You're eating manners, and lack of social grace is causing her to get uncomfortable…alright alright" he panted, as he inhaled and exhaled to try and calm himself. Putting a hand to his forehead, he force smiled "Just go back in there, and be more polite. Say you're sorry and..for the love of god; try and act like you can manage a date". Getting up, he slowly stride back out as he sat down. "I'm really sorry, I'm making this umm..hard for you and..am being uhh..never been on a date and umm…I'll be better" insisted the human.

Smiling gently, Rarity tried to be more understanding as she thought "Never been on a date, so he must surely be treating this as a social outing. Still, you think he'd be abit more..but well I could be more understanding I suppose". Smiling, she said "Well it's alright, just tried to be more considerate..but what was that about with throwing food in your face"? That was just weird!

"I…have no idea. It felt like something was moving me; I dunno…I think I'm better now though" Jake blushed gently in response, as he ran a hand through his hair as he let out a weak laughter. As he went to wolf down more food, he froze as he remembered last time. Slowly, he started to eat, and chew softly. Seeing no sign of discomfit from Rarity, he sighed in relief as he thought he was doing something right.

Moments later, a gentle melody from a violin filed the air as a pink manned Pegasus approached, gently playing the instrument for the couple. Fluttershy smiled happily at the two, as she to next to their table and continued to pay for the two. She watched as Rarity smiled happily at this gesture, whilst Jack's face went red as he lowered his head as if he wanted too disappear on the spot.

"Please stop, please stop, please stop" Jack muttered softly to himself in embarrassment as he watched Rarity continue to enjoy the melody from her friend, as she continued to play something that would help make the two feel more romantic towards one another. It seemed to be working with Rarity, as she was giving the human a seductive smile causing him to blush gently in response as he sat up in his seat.

All the attention that was going to the couple seemed to be getting the attention of other couples throughout the restaurant. A more prominent couple would have to be visiting upper class ponies from Nouveau Charla, and his mare friend; Frigid Quenn.

Nov was around the same age as Rarity, with a blond mane that was cut short and slicked back, a monocle covering his left red eye. His cute mark a dollar sign shrouded in a smog that stayed against his orange fur, and blond tail. He wore an expensive looking vest blue vest, with a rose in his left pocket.

Frigid Quenn had a long flowing red mane that was tied into a ponytail, her fur pure white with a long straightened tail. She wore a red dress that seemed to be made of material that Rarity probably wouldn't use that often. Her cutie mark was what seemed to be a frozen icicle. Looking at the unusual couple, she turned to Nov before scoffing in a nasally voice "Well, it seems that in this sort of town; they let the riff raff in anywhere".

Nov nodded in agreement, before stating in a uptight manner "I say my dear, I knew not to expect any sort of high class standing in this town, but I did expect them to at least keep the trash out where they belong". Squinting at Jack, he asked "This…human creature is certainly an unusual looking thing. Quiet ugly in deed".

Blinking, Jack looked up as he locked eyes with Nov. As Fluttershy retreated back to left the two be alone, Jack figured he'd at least be friendly as he offered a wave to the unicorn couple. Yet, all he received in return was a condescending sneer from the stallion; who turned his head away in an arrogant manner. Flinching at this, Jack gave the confused stallion the one finger salute; muttering "And a hardy hello to you too asshole".

Looking at Rarity, he tried to ignore the couple as he smiled "So umm, have you been having a nice time so far"? That really seemed like a dumb question considering the things he had done, and had what happened to the two of them thus far tonight. To say that he was annoyed with how things had proceeded would be an understatement. From the looks she had been giving, he had been an ass and hadn't even realized it!

Not wanting to upset Jack, Rarity smiled "Oh yes, things have been rather pleasant, abit rough around the edges but you have been kind to me". As she was about to say more, she was disturbed as Frigid loudly announced enough for hear to her to take her prized animal out, and tie it up with the other animals. Shooting Frigid a glare, she smiled weakly "I do apologize" to Jack.

"It's alright, they're just trying to get to us" Jack shrugged casually as he picked away at his food. Suddenly, something landed in front of him. Looking down at the shiny bit, he looked up at a smirking Nov who pointed down at it. Glancing down, Jack noticed a tiny folded up note. Unfolding it, his eyes burned with hate as it said "YOU CAN BUY SOME ACTUAL GARMENTS WITH THIS".

"Bastards" snarled Jack, as he started to make a move to get up but was stopped as Rarity gave him a pleading look to not make a scene. Nodding in return towards her, he sat back down. He wanted to, but wasn't gonna sink to their level. But damn, these were the kinds of rich beings he hated with a passion! Self-centered, narcissism, egotistical assholes! Acting like they were gods because they had money!

Seeing how upset he was, Rarity put a hoof to her chin as she tried to think of a way to distract Jack from the rude couple. Smiling lightly, she leaned forward and kissed the surprised human on the lips; raising a brow in amusement at his surprised expression which shifted into passion as she felt the human lean into the moist kiss.

"Mmmm, she tastes sorta like cherries..I don't know why. Sure taste good though! Beautiful mane, eyes, very good…assets" The human told himself as he kissed her, almost as if forgetting everything that was around him and focusing solely on the unicorn in front of him. As he started to reach back to stroke her mane, his ears caught the distinct words of "Perhaps he's trying to get a taste of what the upper life is like"?

Pulling away from the kiss, Jack grinded his teeth angrily at the unicorn pair as he heard them both laugh in their douchy voices, angered for ruining the moment. Just as he was about to say to hell with being polite, a pair of familiar looking waitresses approached as although both wore plain white long-sleeved shirts, and had their manes groomed; the rainbow styled mane and familiar country accent gave them away.

"Compliments of this establishment" spoke Applejack, as she placed an apple-pie down in front of the couple. Catching Jack's shocked expression, she gave him a wink before stepping back as Nov looked down at the pie with a greedy expression on his face.

"Mmm mm, this does look quiet diving indeed. My compliments to the cook" Nov grinned, eagerly for a taste. Gently placing a small bite of the pie in his mouth, his face scrunched up in delight as he savored the succulent taste. "Mm mm, this is delicious, why it's the..huh" froze the unicorn as he suddenly felt an unknown feeling rising in his belly. Bending over, he started to sweat as he got up; banging his knee quickly as he rushed for the bathroom in a rush, drooping his monocle as he called "I shall be back my dear".

Frigid gasped as she watched him leave in a hurry, as suddenly Dash accidently bumped into her from behind; causing her to go muzzle first into the rest of the pie; covering her completely in the crusted delectable. This incited a laughter from the crowd of ponies, and immediately caused Frigid to rush from the room, towards the restroom.

Dash grinned as she high hooved AJ before passing by Jack and Rarity, giving Jack an encouraging pat on the back.

Jack chuckled, feeling relived that his friends had backed him up on this date. Turning back to face Rarity, he coughed as he remarked "I made this date bad didn't I"? Receiving silence, he sighed heavily as he confessed with a sadden tone. "Sorry that I'm not all what you though, I umm..didn't realize that I was making you uncomfortable. I thought about "hey, if I act a certain way, it would please you" but then I figured just not trying to act like anything would be fine…it just made it worse".

Rarity chuckled lightly, as she responded "Well, this has been a nice little experiment. We just have to help teach you a few things so that our next date will go better". Seeing his shocked expression, she shot him a playful smirk "You really didn't think that I was gonna be so fainted hearted that I would give up after one date did you? You can't get rid of me that easily".

"Th..that wasn't! I..I wasn't trying to get ri" protested the stuttering human as he was silenced with another kiss. Blushing furiously, he leaned deeper into the kiss as he started to stroke her mane gently, inciting a gentle moan from Rarity as Jack thought to himself. "Hmmm, I wonder when will be ready to take things up a notch...".

_**Finished! My brain is really fried right now. Overworked in work, college, and studying; I'm glad I was able to get this out. Hopefully, I won't have this pressure for the next chap. Till next time!**_


	20. Chapter 20

_**Disclaimer: Well, heres hopting this chapter goes well.**_

_**Chapter 19: Passionate Lust**_

_**Warning: Passionate chapter, if you're not into that sort of thing or it makes you uncomfortable; skip this chapter. This chapter will be shorter then my chapters usually are. **_

"Well, I have to say that was an interesting experience. My first date with a human was an enjoyable one".

"Enjoyable? All the things I did were enjoyable"?

After a few hours out, the two had finally returned home. Sweetie Belle was out for the night at Applejack's, so they had the house all to themselves! Whilst the two continued to laugh as they staggered through the front door, Jack ran a hand through his hair as he smirked "I didn't think you enjoyed seeing Rainbow and AJ take care of those jerks".

"Well, usually I abhor stopping to their level; not when they deserve it however" Rarity chuckled back as she smirked "I wonder if the apple pie crusted on that mare her new idea of fashion"? Getting a laugh from Jack, she felt her cheeks go warm with happiness as she found his laugh endearing. Rough, and yet had a husky tone to it when he wanted it to be that way.

"Heh heh, here I thought you were all about sophistication, I didn't know you had any baaaaad thoughts" pointed out the human with a sly grin, as he playfully nudged her side. Watching as the unicorn turned her face away to hide her blushing cheeks, he smirked in a joking manner "Aw c'mon, can't I see a smile from ya". Turning to get in front of her, he watched as her violet eyes shyly stared into his. Those eyes….lovely, beautifully eyes. One could find themselves lost in them.

For a moment neither of the two said a word, lost in thought as if there was no need to say anything since they were both thinking the same thought. It was Jack sadly who broke the silence as he smiled to himself "Sooo, you said that you were the Element of Generosity right? Does that mean all the kindness you've been giving me was out of obligation"?

Gasping at the look on his face, Rarity quickly panicked "Oh no no no Jack, nothing of the sort! I would never pity you, even if life hasn't been easy on you. You managed to get through, you survived and clearly have become stronger for it...so..so I would never pity you..wait". Pausing, she narrowed her eyes to see a hint of a smirk edging on Jacks features as she grinned "Why you! Playing around like that"! Giggling, she pulled the surprised human into a hug, nuzzling her furry cheek against his bare skin.

Apart of him didn't know why, but he really liked her fur against his skin as Jack slowly closed his eyes, imagining himself sinking into a realm of complete relaxation. "Mmm" he hummed softly as gently reached up and hugged her back; kissing her cheek gently.

"Jaaaack, you're doing it all wrong" scolded Rarity as she gave him a look of disappointment. Smiling, she whispered "Your supposed to kiss me here" as she gently locked lips with him, fighting the urge to giggle at his shocked look.

Yet, he didn't resist as he leaned into the kiss, enjoying the hinted taste of what he assumed to be strawberries with a hint of roses.

As he started to lean further into her kiss, eager for more of her tasty lips; he was gently stopped as she winked at him. "Not here…" she chuckled, as she took his hand gently and started to lead him up the stairs towards her room. Her heart beat matched her rising excitement in what they were about to partake in, as she wondered to herself would this was going to feel. If done wrong, it would make her sick and yet done right…there would be no feeling in the world like it.

Closing the door behind him, Jack turned to face Rarity as he gave her an awkward chuckle "Are you absolutely certain that you want to do this? I mean, I don't really know a whole lot about the pony anatomy to know if this would work out".

"Well, we'll never really know until we try right" Rarity asked with a gentle shrug as she trotted over towards her bed, and sat down. Staring at Jack, she blinked beckoningly at him as she urged him to come closer with a seductive smile.

Feeling his cheeks turn red, Jack coughed as he remarked "Well err either this will end up being some sort of horrible cross-species awkwardness, or…it'll end up being some completely amazing". Striding towards her, he sat down alongside the unicorn as he slowly slipped a hand around her waist; feeling the layers of her fur as he rubbed it gently to incite something. Hearing her murr, Jack beamed as he asked "I'm willing to find out if..if you are that is".

"It will certainly be new but, yes…I am willing to find out" the unicorn said in a sultry tone as she pulled Jack into her kisses, rubbing her hooves alongside his backside. Feeling his naked hand touch her, she couldn't help but give off a tiny shiver at the touch; as if a new side of her had been unearthed. This made her bold, as she gently reached down and started to slip off Jacks shirt.

Feeling her grab her shirt, Jack didn't resist as he even helped her, placed within the trance of passion as he allowed his long sleeved shirt to be pulled over his head, making his hair go wild as he started to kiss down Rarity's neck slowly, smirking to himself as he heard a gentle squeal of delight from her. Now off, Jack started to press his chest against her, brining them even closer than before as he reached back and started to rub her neck.

"MMmmmm Jacck" murred Rarity gently as she looked at his chest with delight. Completely chiseled, and rough looking; she caressed a hoof down his chest to see how it would feel. "Clearly you work out, I'm really impressed" she complimented.

"Really? Impressed is the only word you can come up with for me" Jack smirked in a half joking manner as he started to rub a hand around her belly. "Cause I can think of many different words to describe you" Jack whispered in her ear.

"Oh? Do tell" she responded huskily.

Locking lips once more, he moaned "Well let's see..provocative, elegant, sexy…". That last part, he gently dug his teeth against her neck as he started to nip at her lightly. This caused a few gentle gasp from Rarity who grinned at the comments on what sort of pony she was.

"Well you're easy to describe" she smirked playfully, reaching behind Jack as she started to stroke his hair gentle. "Rough, brave and handsome" winked the unicorn in response as she gentle brought his head around her neck as she started to nuzzle against him slowly, causing Jack to shake at her touch.

"Is this the magic touch of unicorns, or just you" Jack asked lightly in between the nuzzles; wondering if he should move at all.

"Hmm hmm, if it was then I certainly wouldn't want you to go anywhere, less you would miss out on experiencing it" she joked playfully.

"I can't help but wonder to myself, would the experience differ if you used magic" asked Jack in almost requesting manner. Playing coy to her confused look, he smirked as his hand started to slowly caress down her back nice and gently, as it approached her rear. Reaching her rear, the human started to gently rub it in a circular motion as slowly as possible in order for him to have a great feel of it; watching as the pony let out tiny gasp of delight at the affection.

"Oh Jack, you..you" gasped out Rarity as more and more of her proactive side was laid bare for Jack to see. Thoughts were rushing through her head like a whirlwind of love. Thoughts like "Was this all a dream? What in Celestial's name had she done to deserve such passion? Was Jack attractive to her in only one manner, or more than one"? Noticing that he seemed to enjoy the feeling of her fur, she paused between nuzzling him as she asked "Do you like the feeling"?

"Huh" Jack managed to get out.

"Of my fur" she questioned, as she noticed that look on his face seemed to vanish when she stopped rubbing her cheek against his.

Feeling his cheeks go red with embarrassment, he stuttered "Ah, well you see umm..the thing is ahh". His babbling was silenced when Rarity resumed, as he nodded quickly to the unicorn; whispering "It feels really..euphoric in a way..though I wonder to myself if this is just because I've never been this close to anyone before in my life". He then locked lips with her as he started to gently bite down against her lips, sucking slowly to savor the taste of her lips.

"Huh? You've never had any other lovers" Rarity questioned in between the kissing, surprised. From how brash, outspoken and brave he was; Rarity had assumed that he had many girlfriends.

"Nope" Jack responded quickly as he continued to kiss her. He had been attracted to other girls yeah, and he always wondered what it would be like to be involved in a romantic relationship and yet he never had the courage to go and approach a girl. Mostly out of fear of her rejecting his feelings, or not being in there social class to where he could even speak to them. Pausing from the kissing, the human let out a chuckle of amusement. "Heh heh, surprising isn't it. That my first real girlfriend would end up being a unicorn".

At one point in his life, saying that last sentence to himself; he most likely would have laughed or cringed; yet now that sentence felt right…everything felt right. It was really amazing on how far he had come as a person, and how it was thanks to this unicorn and her friends.

"Could you repeat that last part? About me being you're what" Rarity teased to Jack, as she used one of her hoofs to twirl some of Jacks hair in an impish manner.

"I don't think me stating the obvious will do, so I think I'll tell you in another manner" shot back Jack, who leaned once more into her kisses in a more hungry, and almost animalistic manner. He was surprised with himself that he would be able to find this side of himself as he started to run a hand through her mane; the soft textures giving way to his rough fingers.

"Mmmm, mmmmm" Rarity hummed throughout the whole process, a new sense of pleasure running through her mind that had never been there before. She was completely dignified, a being of grace and elegance. Yet, she found herself wanting more of this new feeling..almost hungering for it in a manner that she didn't know she could pull off. Feelings of sensuality filled her up, as she decided what they were doing wasn't enough. She wanted…needed more!

"Jack..I..I want you" Rarity huskily demanded, as she gently started to slide Jacks pants down, feeling his muscular legs as she started to gently move her hooves around them in an observing manner. Giggling at Jacks gasp of surprise, her hoof then started to slide down his briefs; revealing Jacks little friend. Her eyes averting down, they slowly looked back up at Jack in mischief as she quipped "Not much of a grower Jack"?

"Ah, heh heh oh I'm a grower alright once I'm properly…motivated. Though I suppose it all really depends on if you can motivate me" Jack shot back, with a raised brow. Watching as Rarity gave him a look of shock; the human smirked "What"?

"You doubt that I could motivate you" she asked, in a mock surprised tone.

"I don't know, you could surprise me or be a disappointment. There is only one way to find out however" he chuckled.

"Well, let's find out then" Rarity whispered lustfully into his left ear, as with one hoof she pulled him in close for a hug, and with her other one; she reached down and started to caress around Jack's friend; her smooth hooves stroking as she watched Jack's eyes struggle to look forward at her and fighting the reflex to roll into the back of his head. "What's wrong Jack, I thought you were a tough guy? Why are you struggling" she asked playfully.

"Ima…ah..ah..nu..not..strug…" tried to speak the human and yet he found himself having a difficult time focusing on her as the feeling of her stroking his dick felt…incredibly euphoric. Feelings of passion, and ecstasy shot through him and he wondered that if this was just how it felt for her to stroke it; then how it would feel for her to actually let him inside of her.

As he struggled to catch his breath, he let out a cry of pleasure as felt Rarity grip his dick; as he looked at her in absolute shock. A wicked smile had taken over her face as she gently started to bring the tip of it towards her opening. Starting to slowly pant, sweat poured down his brow as he looked as he felt her slowly started to rub it around; sensual feelings filling him up.

Questions ran through his head like a hurricane. Was this really Rarity? How could some pony like her actually do all this? Never in his life would he have ever dreamed she had such a provocative side like this! "Rarity, you…you" he tried to get out and yet couldn't find it in himself to speak; too caught up in the moment to even get out a word.

"You look surprised Jack" she asked with a wink.

"Y..eah, I really am..you..your…you're really" Jack stuttered to say, and yet had to paused to catch his breathe.

That was when he lost it.

Eyes feeling as they were about to pop out of their sockets, Jack started to pant as he was inserted gently into Rarity. The song "My minds telling me no, but my body's telling me yes" played through his head as the feelings of ecstasy and lust filled him up. A small part of him was saying that this was wrong! So very wrong, and that he was probably going to hell for this and yet another part was screaming how fucking awesome that it felt! Perhaps it was because he had never felt this before and this was his first time, or the fact that it was with a creature that wasn't even the same species.

He didn't know, and right now; he didn't really care. All that matter to him right now was more. Like a crack dealer with a heavy addiction, he wanted more, more, moooooore!

"Ruh..Rarity" he gasped aloud.

"C'mon Jack, you..you should" Rarity managed to get out as she rolled her body in a circular motion, feeling Jack's dick roll around within her.

Feeling braver, Jack narrowed his eyes as he trusted. His senses betrayed him as he felt himself slowly becoming lost in a world of euphoric pleasure. He was falling from the skies, down towards a sea of his own passion; and awaiting him was Rarity. Reaching out with a gentle hand, he held her hoof as the two embraced. Pulling himself out, he trusted once more; inciting another gasp from the unicorn.

Shaking her head, she panted as her mane was slowly becoming wild, and untamed; yet she seemed to care little for this. The pleasure that Jack was giving her was fantastic. Leaning forward, she nibbled his ear gently and started to stroke his back.

"I..I never thought something like this cou..could feel so awesome" huffed the human, as he sweated from effort and passion.

"Y..you're awesome" Rarity countered in between the huffing.

"Yeah, well guess what" Jack whispered into her ear sneakily.

"What" she asked back.

Jack paused for a moment, before grinning "Love ya". Anything else he wanted to say was cut off by more lip locking, as his lounge slowly locked with hers; finding that her tongue even tasted good. Down below, he could feel himself slowly getting hard as he knew what would happen if he went to far. The pleasure would deflate like a balloon, and they'd be exhausted . "Want more, but gotta hold it in" he told himself quickly as he started to thrust again.

Rarity, wanting to make things more interesting; thought to herself "Things are already terrific and yet…what would happen if magic was placed into the picture. She decided she was gonna try it, as she closed her eyes and started to focus. Her horn started to glow a violet color, as the aura that surrounded it started to spread and surround the two of them. The pleasure and lust the two felt towards one another was at a normal level, and yet when Rarity through in her magic…

"O_O" went Jack's eyes as the pleasure he was getting suddenly skyrocketed ten fold! Not noticing that his body was surrounded by the aura of Rarity's magic, Jack hardened completely as the thrusting levels of pleasure increased, as he could feel something building up and wanting to burst. "No, no, nooooo" he groaned as he didn't want to. Not yet! More pleasure! More!

Rarity gasped, her insides starting to well and build up; threatening to burst, and yet she couldn't. Biting her lips, she tried her damnest to hold back in order to enjoy as much of the pleasure as possible as she didn't want to ever give up this feeling. No, never..never! As Jacks thrusting increased, she couldn't hold back a gentle neigh.

"Kinky" Jack managed to get out in between thrust, as he found his penetration was starting to become more and more powerful, filled with more ecstasy then before thanks to Rarity's assistance. He couldn't help but ask himself if this was all a dream. Nothing more than an elaborate sex fantasy that his deep psychotic was having of the lovely unicorn beside him. Pinching himself hard, he grinned "Nope, no dream".

"This does seem far too good to be a dream doesn't it" Rarity asked the human in casual response; winking at him sexually. Shrugging as the aura continued to flow around them, she asked "How do you feel Jack"?

"I feel greaaaaaaaeee" Jack gawked as suddenly he was felt like he was being over flown by a string of emotions all at once. He wasn't gonna be able to hold it back, despite his best efforts. "Oh god, I'm gonna..I'm gonna" Jack tried to get out, as he clenched his hands tightly; trying his damnest to hold back as he released himself. Feeling like a balloon that just let all the air out, Jack deflated his pounding heart slowly started to return to normal.

Rarity panted as well, looking at him with shock and abit of playfulness. Eyes glancing down, she cringed lightly at the mess they had made; brining her head close to Jack as she nuzzled his cheek warmly. "That was great…I..love you so much" she panted.

"Love you more" Jack responded, overwhelmed by these romantic feelings as the two of them sat there in silence, as they waited for their hearts to stop pounding.

_**Not as long as my usual chapters, but you make do with what you have. That was my first real sex chapter, please feel free to leave comments in what form you'd like. See you next week. **_


	21. Chapter 21

_**Disclaimer: Thank you for the support for last week's chapter. I was really nervous about how the first sex chap I've ever done would turn out. I'm rather pleased with it! Anyway, next chapter starting in 3, 2, 1 **_

_**Chapter 20: Disruptional Field**_

Sid waited patiently in the two parks, his eyes shifting in disgust at the pleasant night and atmosphere around him. He had been waiting for Jack for the last 30 minutes, and the jerk hadn't even shown up yet. Mostly likely cause of how busy he was with his new love partner Rarity. Cringing in disgust, the rumor of them being together had spread like wildfire all over town. Feelings on the matter were mixed, some approved; others were disgusted.

Personally, he was absolutely sickened at the idea. A human…with a pony? Just the thought would turn heads at how ridiculous it sounded. Bah, but he wasn't here to judge the human on his choices. Oh no, he wanted his help in retrieving something outside of ponyville that could benefit them both! As time had gone by, his chaotic wacky appearance seemed to become less and less so and was now looking more casual.

Running a hand through his grey hair, he smirked devilishly as he spotted Jack; his face flustered as he stopped in front of Sid, panting as he bended over to catch his breathe. "Well, you've kept me waiting. Here I thought us as friends still mattered to you".

"It..it does..I uh..Was just busy" Jack huffed, as he stood up with a smile; having caught his breathe. His eyes widened as Sid glanced down at his pants.

"Oh yes, I'm really certain. You know I've hardly seen you for the last couple of weeks. What, you're too busy hanging out with your pony friends to even acknowledges me" questioned the annoyed creature as he looked away with a mock hurt face.

" of course not! I've just been really busy is all, I wasn't trying to avoid you" Jack protested to his friend.

"Busy with Rarity huh" Sid noted, seeing Jack's zipper was undone. Snorting at the flustered human quickly zipped up; he muttered "Well, it doesn't matter. I have something that might appeal to you". Beckoning him to sit down, Sid smirked as he pointed out towards the forest. "Deep within the Everfree forest, I discovered something! Some Pre-Celestia/Luna ruins that lead underneath Ponyville".

"How do you know this" Jack asked curiously.

"Through some exploring of course. I recognized some of the symbols on the ruins, and identified them as Luna/Celestian based. I went and took a look in the library and uncovered something. Those ruins are the same ruins where the two princesses had laid they're treasures before they even became princesses! Heck, before Equestria was known as Equesria; back when it was called…Ponyland".

"And what do you think is in there" questioned Jack, as he leaned back with his arms around his head. As fascinated as this stuff sounded, he really wasn't sure if he would really be up for it. Since it didn't really sound like he would benefit or nothing. I mean, he was planning on giving his diamond to Rarity to show how much he cared so he doubted anymore would be needed.

"Are you dense? Or just stupid" snorted Sid, as he knocked on Jack's head if it was made of wood.

"Ack! Cut that out" snapped Jack, as he slapped the guys hand away from him. It was at that point that Jack noticed something off about Sid. His hair coloring was weird enough, but now he had mismatched horns! A deer horn and what looked like a goat horn? "So uhhh, what's with the horns? You didn't have those last time I saw you" Jack pointed out, with a weird expression on his face.

Eyes glancing up, Sid smirked "Meh, I figured that I wanted to try something different today. Shrugging, he said aloud with a grin "Why should I settle for one set of horns when I can have two huh? I'd rather not conform to what everyone else is...".

"Alright alright, sheesh. So, anyway why should I be interested in these ruins" Jack questioned.

Sid sighed, tsking as if placed his hands on his hips; like an impatient teacher with a slow student. "Well one: theirs a good chance that the ruins are filed with riches! Two: The possibility of monsters to attack us is really high, so fights could break out. Three: There could be something there that could increase the amount of magic you have".

Jack was about to question how he knew about that, but froze as those three things appealed to Jack's weak spots. The chance to bring back something to impress Rarity, a good fight to get the blood pumping and something to increase his magical properties? How the hell could he not say no"! Staring down at the ground, Jack turned away as he placed a hand to his chin as he tried to look uninterested. "Gee, I dunno. Sounds interesting sure; but I don't know if I would be up to dragging myself through danger for some unknown prize".

"You liar" Sid snorted, as he placed a hand on Jack's shoulder as he gave a sneaky grin. "It appeals to you, don't try to deny it" taunted Sid. Seeing how Jack needed some convicting, Sid gave him a sinister smirk, as he speared his influence out towards Jack to help convince him.

Freezing as he felt something, a slow smirk crossed his features as Jack responded "Alright". Turning around to face Sid, he shrugged "How can I say no huh? First I'd best go and tell Rarity where I'm going. Might be gone for awhile, and its best that I…".

"NO" snapped Sid angrily, his cool demeanor breaking for a brief moment. Noticing Jacks look of shock; he quickly regained his mask as he shrugged "I'd prefer if we kept this little secret of the ruins to ourselves. If we were to let others know about these ruins, it might encourage them to come and seek the treasures for themselves. And we wouldn't want that now would we" Sid questioned, staring hard at Jack.

Blinking as Sid's stare seemed to influence him, Jack shrugged "Ah, I guess not. Well, alright than". Getting up from the seat; Jack asked "Aren't we gonna need anything for this? Like food, water, survival gear for an expedition".

"Nope, we're not gonna need anything. Everything we need, I can create" Sid smirked, snapping his fingers as a rootbeer float ended up in Jack's hands. Smirking at Jack's face, he chuckled "I've been practicing my magic a lot in the time we haven't spent with each other; and I suppose you could say that I have seriously improved in my powers".

"Err, maybe so. I can kick your ass when it comes to fire powers I bet" challenged the eager teen.

"Hoo Hoo, I'm sure you could" snorted Sid, as he pointed towards the forest. "Well then, let us get going shall we? Fortunate waits for no man, and I would really like to get this done at night rather than tomorrow". Halting as he heard a tired yawn from Jack, Sid rolled his eyes as he snapped his fingers and rejuvenated Jack. "I need you awake" Sid stared blankly.

"S..sorry about that" Jack chuckled weakly.

Turning away, Sid raised a hand as he said "Wait..hmm..". Sniffing at the air, his eyes narrowed as he stated bluntly. "We've got ourselves a little eaves dropper". Whirling around at high speed, Sid aimed and fired a bolt of magic up at a tree; smirking in satisfaction at the cry of pain that he got as a pony fell out unconscious as she hit the ground.

"Rainbow Dash" Jack shouted in alarm, as he rushed towards her side. Holding her head up, he asked "Hey Dash, can you hear me? It's Jack! Wake up" he urged as he shook her roughly to snap her out of her daze. Her body had small scorch marks from the blast of magic. Eyes glaring daggers, Jack snarled at Sid "You shithead! What the hell was that for"? He was about two seconds from smashing his fist into the arrogant jerks face.

Sid raised his hands in a gesture of peace, as he shrugged casually "She was spying on us. I didn't like it, so I knocked her out. She isn't dead or anything".

"That didn't mean you had to knock her out" insisted Jack, crossing his arms as he stared down with concern at the Pegasus. Shaking his head, Jack grumbled "You know, she's gonna wake up and ask why I was talking to you and why attacked her".

"Not if she doesn't remember" smirked Sid, as he sat down in front of the Pegasus. Placing a hand on her forehead, Sid narrowed his eyes as he focused his magic; his hand starting to glow a dark maroon color. For a few moments he was silent, before he removed his hand; a satisfied look on his face as he shrugged "Done. She won't remember a thing".

Jack sighed as he hopped Dash wouldn't remember anything. As bad as he felt, he wanted to get that extra gift for Rarity. Coming to an idea, Jack turned to face Sid with his eyes narrowed "Wait...can your magic teleport"? Seeing the amused look on his face, Jack blinked "You can…cant you".

"I can…if I feel up for it that is" shrugged Sid, as he turned his back on Jack and smirked.

"Then why the hell don't you just teleport us to the cave, and get this over with" Jack asked bluntly. It was like how he felt when he read Lord of the rings! Why not just fly the eagles to Mount Doom, and drop the ring into the fire? It would have saved them three books!

"Well, where would the fun in that be to just get the struggle over in such a flash" Sid asked innocently as he circled around Jack slowly; irritating the hell outta him. "Picture this, you hear about monster, traps...the possibility of danger at every turn...and you want to get past all that and straight to the reward? Pfft, you're boring" Sid snorted, as he shook his head in disappointment. "Here I thought you were some sorta badass, but you're really nothing more than a bore" Sid shrugged.

"Y..You! I am not a bore! Take that back" Jack demanded threateningly.

"Don't get your panties in a bunch. You want me to take it back? Then prove me wrong" Sid smirked narsassitcally.

"Alright asshole fine! You want it, you got it" Jack declared, brushing past him roughly; forgetting all about Rainbow Dash. Starting to head towards the Everfree forest, a small part of him yelled he was being reckless; that something about all this wasn't quite right. But at this point, he was too angry to listen to reason as he continued to make his way towards the forest.

Sid glanced down ideally at Rainbow Dash's knocked out body, as he snorted "Don't want you asking any questions sooo..". Snapping his fingers, he looked up at the tree where Dash now slept; he smirked "Trust me ponies, will have our fun again soon in due time".

Turning to fall Jack, Sid had to resist the urge to cackle.

"Huh, why didn't I ever notice this before" Jack mused to himself seriously as he stared intently at the entrance to the underground ruins. The entrance itself looked older than anything in Equestria, as it had been built into a hill. The stone blocks were covered in moss, and vegetation as clearly the jungle had taken back what once was a thriving temple.

What caught Jacks attention however were the twin statues standing on either side of the entrance. Both of them looked like Celestia and Luna as he saw them once in his dream and yet they seemed..Younger…like around the age of Twilight and the others.

"What in the world is this" Jack said aloud, as he stared intently at the statues. According to Rarity, the sisters were more than a thousand years old. This must have been what they looked like when they were young. Very young. He couldn't help but wonder though if the two sisters were essentially goddess; then how old could they live to be?

"You done staring or can we please get going" Sid asked with a huff, bumping past the distracted human. He had no interest in the history of this place, only the treasures and wonders that lied within.

Nodding as he shook his head, Jack started to follow Sid as they disappeared into the underground tunnel that would lead towards their desires. It was extremely cool in the tunnel, and surprisingly moist as the air had a thick scent in it, like it just rained heavily and now had stopped. Sniffing at the air, Jack stared ideally out as he shook his head. He wasn't a really big fan of this kind of environment since it gave him headaches.

"Moist down here" Jack commented ideally, as he brushed some hanging vines out of his way.

Sid didn't respond, too focused on the path before him to even acknowledge Jack. As he stopped at a three way split; he narrowed his eyes as he looked at all three paths slowly. Looking to the left path, he picked up a small pebble as he tossed it down the hall. Immediately, a blaze of fire lit up the hall; igniting it before vanishing just as fast as it had appeared.

"What the" Jack snapped in alarm, clearly not expecting this. Glaring at Sid, he asked "This…oh right". He had remembered hearing about there being traps here and yet he had gone and forgot about it. Blushing in embarrassment, he coughed "Ahem, so where exactly are we supposed to go next cause I didn't bring a map pal".

"Try going straight" Sid stated bluntly. Getting a weird look from Jack, he rolled his eyes as he commented "Just do it". Watching as he started to move, Sid placed a hand on his shoulder as he stopped Jack. "Slowly" warned Sid, as he released him.

Nodding, Jack turned down towards the path as he glared down the hall. He could see an end, but there was something odd about the end of the hall. He couldn't feel a breeze circulating from it like he had just felt from the other halls. Raising his hand, he was surprised as it went through. Falling forward with his hand, he gasped in horror as he went through and gripped the edge of the wall as he had walked through a mirage..and almost fallen into an endless pit.

Staring down, Jack gulped as he leaned back and panted as he turned around to face Sid. "Did you know that wa.." he started to accuse but was cut off.

"Hey, I warned you didn't I" shot back a defensive Sid as he beckoned towards the right hall. "Well, that pretty much narrows it down" he shrugged with a smirk.

Going past him in a huff, Jack grumbled "Whatever".

Continuing forward, Jack wondered to himself if Sid was being straight with him about everything that was going on. Now that he thought about it, where had he been for awhile? His answer was "around" but where exactly was that? Why did he suddenly just show up to Jack now? For what purpose? Was he being serious in..pfft, he was over analyzing things. Sid was most likely back just to hang with him, and Jack was cool with that…long as he stopped acting like a dick that is.

Snorting, Jack blinked as they the hall ended and opened into a large chamber. Large torches with fire that switched to pure white, and then to a night blue glowed ominously as the stone steps led down towards a cauldron. Hanging from the ceiling was some sort of glowing ball of light that seemed to switch back and forth between the moon, and the sun. This light lite up the entire room, illuminating in an almost hypnotic state.

Staring up in disbelief at the sight, Jack tried to pass of this unusual sight as he said "Err, what do you think this is huh"? Looking back at Sid, he could see that the guy wasn't even focusing. He was staring at the embedded jewels in the wall with an interested look. Ignoring Sid, Jack approached the cauldron slowly as he muttered "Ten grand says that the water is always switching to white and blue".

Glancing inside, he smirked "Annnnd where is my money". Looking intently into the water, he slowly raised his hand as he started to cautiously reach down to touch the water. As it got close to it, he froze as he thought of the last time he had touched something without knowing what it was; or what it did. He had been ten and ended up burning his hand when it touched the side of an incinerator.

Pulling his hand back, he was about to turn away when the contents started to move. Now focusing on the moving waters, he called back to Sid "Are you seeing this right now"? Getting no answer, Jack blinked as images started to show. What looked like Equestria seemed more..well..primitive. It cut to what appeared to be a young Luna, and Celestia running through a field playing with…huh?

It sorta looked like that..Discord character he had seen in the park. Cept, much younger. His hair was shorter, body scarier and he lacked his goatee. Around there age he supposed. The three of them were laughing, and goofing around as if there wasn't a care in the world. "Jesus, how old are they really" Jack mused as he leaned down into the cauldron.

Celestia and Luna, they must have been..friends with this guy at some point. But if they had been friends, then what the hell had happened to make him turn to stone like that?

Suddenly, the contents shifted once more; now changing to what looked like more recent times as the images were now extremely blurry. Yet, he could somewhat make out what looked like Discord; an evil twinkle in his eye as he cackled evilly at what appeared to be…he couldn't tell. Some sort of city? But where? And why?

Before he could get anymore answers however, a rock fell into the cauldron as it broke up the image. "Jerk! I was looking at something" Jack snapped, whirling around to face a smirking Sid.

"Well I came here to get treasure, not look at some ancient crud that has no real meaning anymore" Sid snorted as he looked up at the shinning moon/sun. "PFft, I think somebody loves themselves a little too much" chuckled Sid at the references to the princesses.

"Yeah yeah, a million laughs" Jack grumbled as he started to follow Sid out of the chamber, his thoughts still on the image he had just seen. Why would Celestia and Luna seal up Discord? Had something happened to him that he became evil? Was he just going with his natural instincts. For that matter, what was up with him being that city. The city of..of…hell he didn't know. The image started to come up until Sid had gone and ruined it.

"Why would I see those kinds of images" Jack blinked as he thought "Perhaps they were visions of the future and past…things that have happened, and have yet to come but what is there meaning" questioned Jack slowly.

Trying to dismiss these thoughts, he tried to think of something that he did care about. Like Rarity. Shivering slightly as he remembered the intercourse he had with her, a bright red blush appeared on his cheeks as he thought to himself "If I was to tell someone of what I had gone and had sex with a unicorn, they'd probably call me crazy and claim I was going to hell. Thankfully though, he didn't give a shit. What he had experienced with her was so magical, that he never wanted to lose the feelings he had for her…ever.

Looking ahead, he called "Yo Sid, quick question".

"Yeah" Sid asked casually.

"You ever been in love" Jack questioned. He became unsure if that was the right thing to ask as Sid froze on the spot, and suddenly looked like he wanted to throw up, run away or just panic on the spot. Sensing Jack watching him, Sid quickly tried to recover as if the notion had sent him off guard. "Ahem, erm not really no, and I have no interest in such silly matters. It's pointless, and really I don't see why I would want any" lied Sid with a huff.

"Liar" Jack bluntly stated in response.

Whirling around to face Jack, Sid glared "And what? You think that I have need of such things. I've gotten this far in my life without any romantic partner. I have the power to change…err..control what comes to mind". The more he talked about it, the more angry Sid seemed to get as he snarled "And what about you Jack? You think just because your with somebody that you have the right to come up and tell me how to..".

Pausing as he realized how he was acting, Sid gave an artificial smile to try and show that he was good. "Hey hey now, let's not talk about my romance life or lack thereof. We're doing this little trip in part to help you with yours. After all, you're doing this to show how much you care about Rarity huh"?

"Well, yeah" Jack nodded, remembering why he was here. As he thought about it, what should he get Rarity? She seemed like the typical wanting-white knight to come in, swoop her off her hooves and ride happily ever after-type of pony. A locket? Naaah, too predictable. He could deliver it dressed in armor if he found any, but what he gave had to be romantic.

"I wonder could it possibly. I Mean it would be the ultimate symbol of how I feel towards her, but at the same time its possible that she could not like it so..hmmm" Jack thought as he argued with himself and tried to think of a means to rationalized what he was thinking. Blushing at the thought of it, he smiled "Well umm, I think she'd never let me live it down since it is romantic and…abit cheesy".

"You speaking aloud" Sid asked to Jack with a raised brow.

Realizing Sid had heard everything, Jack quickly put back on his mask as he grumbled "Ahh, well umm..no..it's cool. Just thinking aloud". Looking away, as much as he wanted to share how he felt with someone; he figured it would be best if that someone wasn't Sid. Mainly because the guy really seemed like he would take what he thought/expressed and laugh in his face. That's not what Jack needed right now.

Shrugging, Sid smirked "Well, I think you'd best focus your thoughts now because we are about to enter the room where you can possibly amplify your powers".

"Wait..how do you know this? I thought you never came here before" Jack noticed, as he wondered what Sid was playing at. As Sid turned around to face Jack, he froze at the sight of Sid's cold eyes; glaring into him as he pictured a bolt of lightning crackling behind him; giving him a devious look.

"I know all" Sid smirked in an almost sneaky, playful manner as he turned away and pointed "And here we are". The room was another large chamber, with a giant blue crystal floating in the center between two conductors. Energy shot up and down from the crystal into the conductors, powering them as the light lit up the entire room. It was very beautiful and yet very unusual at the same time. "That there is what's gonna help increase your powers" Sid smirked, as he noticed the energy coming from the crystal was starting to dim.

Getting worried, he snapped his fingers and smirked satisfied as it started to glow normally again. He hadn't counted on the cauldron being here still in the temple. Last time, he had tried to make it vanish but he supposed his powers were too weak to make it disappear. Hopefully, next time he tried that he would be able to make it happens.

Looking at the crystal, Jack pointed "You want me..to touch this thing"? Staring back at Sid with utter dismay; he snorted "Are you kidding me? I can literally feel its power from where I am standing; and for all I know it could end up frying me".

Sid sighed, as he shook his head in a disapproving manner. "Jack, Jack, Jackkk..you know what your problem is"? When he got no answer, he smirked "You act all tough on the outside, yet soft on the inside. You go on about wanting to feel power, yet when present with the chance to do so; you become a scared little boy. I guarantee that you'll do that after you touch that crystal". Snapping his fingers, sunglasses covered his eyes as he grinned "Go ahead, and prove me wrong".

It would take an idiot to see that Jack was being baited, and sadly in his macho state; an idiot he was. "Oh you don't think that I don't have what it takes? With what I've had to deal with; this should be no sw…you know what; I'm gonna prove you wrong right now" Jack grunted angrily in response.

Turning towards the glowing crystal, Jack let out a shout of determination as his hand connected with the crystal. The moment his hand made contact, he shot his head back in shock from the pain as the energy from the crystal slowly started to encompass Jacks body. Shaking, and twitching like mad; he continued to scream as the blue aura that surrounded him suddenly turned to a crimson red. Blinking slowly, Jack opened his eyes as they started to glow red.

Letting go, the human staggered back as he stared down at his hands in shock. Fire exploded from his palms, as a torrent of it shot up into the ceiling. Groaning, the human shook his head as he tried to get rid of the nauseous feeling he was getting. This feeling..this feeling was incredible! Despite his headache, the power he felt at his fingers tips was exhilarating. Looking up at Sid, he forced himself to smile as he commented "How's that huh"? How's th…what"?

He then noticed Sid was giving a mock shocked look, as he slowly pointed behind Jack. Following his gaze, Jack watched as suddenly pieces of rock from the walls suddenly came loose, and started to come together. The rocks slowly started to form arms, and legs; a head. The giant crystal floated into the center of the things chest as two tiny pieces broke off and created eyes for the..the..golem.

The Golem glared down hatefully at the intruders as it let out a mighty roar, causing Jack to state one thing about their situation.

Ah shit…

_**Sorry for the sudden end, my father is having open heart surgery so I doubt I'll be able to update next week. The week after that, I will without a doubt update however. See you all soon!**_


	22. Chapter 22

_**Disclaimer: Well, Season 2 is over. Bring on season 3 please! **_

_**Chapter 22: Golem battle**_

For a moment, Jack didn't move as he glanced up at the monstrosity fused together by magic. If he had woken up last Saturday, and someone told him that he was gonna be going into some sort of ruins with a friend, and then fighting a three story golem...he'd have laugh "Are you outta your frekaing mind"?

This all seemed like a really anti-climactic boss battle from one of his old video games. Appearing right the hell outta nowhere with an ambiguous backstory, and making him wonder what relevance that the creature has, at least until he finds out what it was for later in the story.

Now that he was down here, standing before one; he probably would have said "Oh, well then I'd best bring my kick ass attitude" cause the thing was looking mighty pissed, and looking to vent its anger on the closest thing it could get its giant hands on. Seeing how it was looking at Jack, his guess was he'd best start running. Yet in that moment where his mind was screaming at him to run and rationalize, his body suddenly jumped into action.

"EAT THIS" Jack shouted, as he decided to throw a sucker punch move, rearing his fist back and shooting it forward palm out; a torrent of fire shooting up directly at the golem's stone head. Letting out a victorious burst of laughter, Jack remarked "Yah! How'd you like that ugly? How'd you lik..oh shit". When the fire cleared, the golem's head was completely unsigned. "Uhhhh, maybe now would be a good time to retreat" Jack smiled weakly, as he turned and took two steps before he felt the wind of its punch coming right at him.

Cartwheeling aside, Jack gasped as he put his fist up in a defensive state; eyes bulging in fear as he knew that he had bitten off more than he could chew. Heck, even with this supposed power improvement; his attack didn't do crud. Maybe it was because he wasn't mad enough yet? Or perhaps he hadn't focused enou..WAAHH!

Throwing himself down, he had barely managed to avoid his head getting zapped by a discharge of electricity that shot from the golems palm and smashed into the wall behind Jack. Looking up, he thought "It can use magic too? Great, why not give the shit head a rocket launcher too! Blow my head off"! Getting up, Jack shot a glance at Sid as he asked "Hey, you wanna help me? Or are you just gonna stand there"?

"Urg, fine" Sid rolled his eyes, thinking to himself "Hmm, looks like the old golem is still up and about after all these centuries. Hmm, to think Celestias magic would last this long? Don't want to give away too much of my powers sooo..Id best stick to what it is I do best…well, second best thing". Charging his fist with ice; Sid smirked "Alrighty then, let's see if tall, dark, and ugly can handle a taste of two magic users".

"Somehow I doubt that's gonna really make much of a difference since he himself can use magic and…I'm guessing more than just one" Jack commented as he looked down at his hands in annoyance. He was trying to focus and use more of the new power he had just unlocked, yet he seemed to be having trouble doing it. "C'mon you useless..work..work" Jack glared angrily, as his hands sparked with fire for a moment on each word; yet vanished just as fast.

"Uhhhh, watch it" Sid called casually.

Looking up in time, Jack let out a grunt as he smacked into the air by the golems fist. "GAAAAAAAHHH" shouted the human as the strike from golem had encased him in a magical barrier; sending him through the wall. Going into a roll as he landed, Jack gripped his forehead in pain. "Owww, that hurt" Jack snarled, but glad that the barrier had protected him from his bones being smashed when he went through the wall, but still hurting from the force.

Shrouded in darkness, Jack's anger fuled him as his hand ignited; illuminating the darkness. Finding himself on a large stone platform, with caves that went on for miles in multiple directions, and a pit below with jagged rocks; he turned to face the Golem as it made its way through the wall.

"Good, for a sec I thought I was gonna have to chase after you" smirked Jack, cracking his knuckles as Sid teleported next to him. Eyeing Sid, he asked "Okay, we have one goal here. Know what that goal is"?

"Easy, we dismember this thing, one rock at a time" Sid countered, as he deiced to at least play Jacks game by appearing full of bravado. "Just to let you know, I'm not going to be the only one destroying this thing alights? So, if you think just because I'm more capable at magic than you are; doesn't mean that I'm the only ones who's going to beat this thing".

"I'd kick your ass if you had all the fun fighting this" shot back Jack as he snorted "Enough talk! Let's go"! Spiriting towards the golem, Jack ducked low to avoid a swipe from its mighty hand, followed by leaping into the air to avoid being crushed by his fist. Holding his arm steady, he fired a steam of fire at the golem's eye; hoping to blind it. This seemed to only make it madder as it swatted Jack out of the air.

"Grr" muttered an annoyed Jack as he rolled aside and then leaped into the air as the golem smashed both of its fist down; shaking the platform as it caused the cave to shake and shudder. "Alright then, let's try this" spat Jack as he landed, and started shooting his palms forward; unleashing a torrent of pyro spheres at the creatures head. Watching as the attack was consuming its head, Jack started to get braver as he nodded "C'mon big guy! Can't do anymore than that"?

Sid appeared next to Jack, watching as it expended his powers and energy. As much as it was useless, he figured he'd at least indulge him. Aiming at the creatures left leg, Sid fired a powerful bolt of lightning, its yellow brilliance lighting up the cave as the blast connected. The creature let out a bellow of pain, collapsing to its knee as it gripped its injured leg.

"Keep blasting his leg with that, I've got an idea" grinned an eager Jack, as he closed his eyes and pictured a sword made of fire appearing in his hands. Opening his eyes, he had to resist beaming like an eager child as the twin katana's made out of fire, shook in his hands as he swung the weapons in his hands to test them out. Satisfied, he sprinted at the creatures injured leg and started to slash.

Ignoring the creatures cries, Jack swung his arms like a sawmill; repeatedly striking as the only thoughts running through his head were "Gotta strike fast, break this thing in two, make it back for Rarity". As he did so however, he failed to notice the creature getting up; Jacks attacks having little to no effect at all on the being. Suddenly realizing that its leg was moving, Jack looked up in time for the creature to pluck him off the ground; griping it in its right fist.

"AAAAGGGGGHHHH" Jack screamed in pain, his flaming swords vanishing from sight as he tried to break himself free from the golems grip, and yet found himself unable to do so.

"Sid! Aggg..ge..get this thing to let go of me…" Jack shouted in between the beings squeezes as Sid stared up silently

"Hmmmm, I wonder what he's doing" Rarity asked herself, as she tried to keep herself preoccupied by making fashionable outfits. A group of the Wonderbolts had requested some off duty outfits that were comfortable and casual, yet still showed acknowledgement that they were Wonderbolts. She had been working on the outfits all day as a means to keep her mind busy; yet all she could think about was Jack.

He had claimed he was gonna be out for awhile, getting something for her. But he wouldn't say what exactly it was. As much as she loved him, she really wished he would tell her what he was up to. Unless it was a surprise! Ooo that make it all so much better! But what was the surprise?

Pausing from her work, she put a hoof to her chin as she thought hard. Perhaps he was planning on presenting her with a necklace, a beautiful violet gem in the middle as a means to show his love for her? Or maybe he was coming back with something that would grant something she had always wanted to see! An image of Jack entering the room, dressed in royal armor; flashing a cocky grin made her knees weak as she shook her head.

"Really now Rarity, you are a lady and you must act as one worthy of your station, and not as some star struck school filly" she lectured herself as she turned back to her dresses. "And yet I can't help but act in such a way" she smiled with glee. That's when a thought hit her.

Why should he be the only one to do something so nice for her? In fact, that's what he had been doing a lot this week. Doing all sorts of nice things for her to make her happy. It was high time she returned the favor. Yes, but with what? What could she make to show she cared? Thinking hard, she thought over some qualities on what made Jack the way he was.

He was defiantly rough around the edges, outspoken, brash, and didn't hesitate to hide how he was feeling. He enjoyed doing adventurous things, and loved to spend his times fighting. Underneath all that brashness, he was a big softy! Well, at least to her anyway. The way he carried himself flared to her and..flared..wait!

Beaming at the idea that came into her head, she turned away as she put aside the work for the Wonderbolts. She could finish them up later. Removing some black fabric, she got to work as she looked over at a red crystal she had and started to shorten it out into a thinner, nonexistence material. "This is going to be difficult; but it is doable" she smiled in glee as she placed the crystal onto the back of the hoodie; making an outline as she started to design a giant flame around the crystal.

Hearing a knock on the door, Rarity paused as she trotted down stairs. Opening it, she was surprised to see Rainbow Dash standing eagerly, looking past Rarity as if trying to look into her home. "Rainbow Dash, why isn't this a lovely surprise" Rarity smiled to her friend.

"Heya Rarity, have you seen Jack around? He said he was gonna come do some training with me today, and he never really showed up. I was wondering If he was here with you" Dash commented, trying to look past Rarity.

"I'm sorry Rainbow, but I haven't seen Jack at all. He left early this morning, and said he was going to be back probably much later today. Where he is though, I am uncertain" Rarity admitted, surprised that Jack would bail on Rainbow like that since he usually didn't do that.

"He aint here? Oh…umm, that's abit of a surprise" Dash admitted, sorta saddened that her sparring partner wasn't around. Turning away, she wondered to herself where Jack had gone off too? Was he hanging out with one of the others? "C'mon Jack, where'd you go" Dash complained, wanting to hang out with him.

"We'll I'm sure he'll be back later" Rarity smiled, and yet her heart was telling her that something was wrong. That Jack was..was in trouble. The problem was that she didn't know where he was, so she was unable to help him at all. She hopped however that this was her nerves and not a feeling telling her that he was in danger. "Please be safe Jack, wherever you are" she thought worryingly.

"SID! GET ME DOWN BEFORE THIS GUY CRUSHES MY SPINE" Jack screamed angrily, squirming and kicking rapidly to free himself and yet failing. Sid was just standing, deep in thought as if contemplating on whether or not he was gonna save Jack. He couldn't believe this guy! Weren't they supposed to be friends or something?

"Aggh, alright. Here I was hoping you'd be able to get out on your own which is why I didn't do anything" Sid mock pouted as he casually tossed a ball made of lighting up and down. As it landed in his palm, he leaned back as he through it straight at the golem's hand. Getting a scream of pain from the creature, its stone arm charred and turned black as it slowly incinerated, dropping Jack as Sid smirked arrogantly at his power.

"Ahh yes, what would I be without my powers" Sid grinned deviously as he glanced up as if really thinking on it. Dismissing the notion immediately, he blew a raspberry as he commented "Extremely boring, that's what I would be. And I absolutely loath boring".

"So glad you decided to help me out" Jack grunted as he poked at his aching ribs, flinching at the pain. "If I was able to break free, then what do you think I was doing up there? Acting and upting the theatrics" asked an annoyed Jack.

"Well who knows? This is you were talking about here. You do tend to show off whenever you want, and seem to love being the center of attention" Sid snorted back.

"Says that guy with the mismatched horns on his head, and the glowing red eyes" Jack returned as he rolled his eyes. Looking away, he grunted "You know, times I doubt you even are human but I guess it's just from the magic that you're able to alter yourself".

"As much fun as it is to trade insults with each other, perhaps he should focus on the giant monstrosity that's trying to kill us" Sid pointed up, causing his friend to glance up in time to avoid being stepped on.

Landing, Jack glared at his fist in heavy annoyance as he got to his feet, and started to charge the golems leg. Reaching it with his fist ready, he released a torrent of punches at the creature. As he punched the heavy rock faster and faster, his fist slowly caught on fire as he started to leave afterimages of his punches.

Sid on the other hand, flew up into the air as he started to shoot charged beams of lighting at the creatures head, annoying and injuring it. Letting out a roar, the creature started to swat at the floating human; eager to pound its face into the dust as it almost completely forgot about Jack punching away at its leg. Mainly, because his punches weren't doing anything.

"C'mon, fall, fall, fall" Jack shouted, wanting to topple the beast the way Sid seemed to be able to. It was moments like these he really hated. Having all this power, and yet being completely useless with it. It really ticked him off, and made his blood boil. Why! Why couldn't he do this? Why wasn't he able to pull off what Sid was capable of. Jack knew that he was naturally strong from all his fighting, and that his fire powers only seemed to add to his fighting. Yet, he couldn't bring the guy down!

The golem finally took notice of Jack, aggravation evident in its eye as he raised its leg and kicked at Jack. He managed to avoid being hit, but the momentum of being shaken off its leg caused him to slide onto the stone floor.

Sid on the other hand was in his element, circling around the golems head; blasting away like there was no tomorrow as he bit by bit, wore it down. Sometimes he wondered why he hanged out with Jack when he didn't even prove himself to be useful. At first, Sid thought the guy was smart since he had a habit for taking things that were either bigger than him, or outnumbered him greatly. But when presented with something that he didn't know how to handle: He resorted to brute force, and that was clearly working well.

"You know, maybe you should stop trying for the tough approach and actually be useful" Sid called from above, as he ducked and dodged the golems mighty fist.

"Go to hell" spat Jack, as he pushed himself off the floor. About to charge once more, he was interrupted as the golem stomped its foot, sending a shock wave at him that knocked him once more off of his feet as he this time landed on his chest. Wincing, he pushed himself off the ground as he felt something tinkling down his mouth. Reaching up, he touched blood. Surprised at the golem, and at himself for not being able to hurt him; Jack lowered his head as he started to shake in silent anger.

For a moment all he could see was red. Red anger, red blood, red everything! A violent image of him punching a whole through the creature's chest, it collapsing to the ground in agony whilst Jack danced on its body like a crazed loon; went through his head. Clenching his knuckles so tightly until they hurt, his entire body started to shake, and slowly ignite. Growling like a rabid dog, Jack got to his feet as the flames emanating from his hands engulfed his entire body, as it speared like a wildfire around him. It was almost as if the anger he was feeling was so great, that it was empowering his pyro skills; making them stronger then before!

The golem, seeing that he had once more gotten up; rolled its eye in an almost bored manner. Whilst the human flying around zapping him was hurting him, this one on the other hand wasn't even worth the golems time since it wasn't capable of even hurting it. Deciding it had enough of being annoyed by it, the golem raised its fist back to punch at the human. Launching his fist, at the being; the golems eyes widened in shock, as a large crackling sound emanated from its fist.

Jack groaned as he held the beings fist with both his hands, grunting at the incredible strength it was taking to hold its fist. Raising his hand fist, Jack leaned back as he punched the creature as hard as he could. A decent sized portion of the golems fist shattered into pieces; causing the golem to rear back in pain as it held its damaged fist, an arrogant Jack eager to cause more damage.

Surprised at his own strength, Jack stared down at his hands in awe; the power emanating from them feeling…exhilarating. Like he could do whatever the hell he felt like with this power! In fact, if he wanted to; why should he live by the rules of…stop.

Shaking his head, he held it with one hand as he grunted "I am not going to let this power corrupt me. It feels awesome…but it's not going to control me". Glaring up at the golem, he smirked "I am going to control it".

Sid was amazed by this change, surprised that Jack was even capable.

Lighting himself up once more, Jack leaped into the air as he landed on the golems damaged fist. Rushing up the creatures arm, he reared back and round house kicked at its head; forcing the creature to stagger backwards near the edge of the platform. Landing, Jack then went for its knees as he shot forward twin pyro beams from his hands; eyes widening as he missed his target completely!

"What in the" Jack gawked horrified at missing, as he looked around rapidly as he couldn't see any sight of the creature. Feeling a large presences behind him, Jack whirled back to see the golem raising his foot to stomp down on him. However, Jack wasn't gonna be intimidated as he rushed forward and went between the monsters legs, confusing it.

But it seemed that he wasn't gonna be as lucky as the golem reached down, and grabbed Jack by his legs. Gasping, Jack kicked wildly as he was dragged across the ground; looking up as he tried to punch at the fist; his flaming fist aching to beat away and destroy this stone hand.

"Let go of me right nOOoWaaAAAahhh" Jack shouted as he was picked up and tossed across the cavern. "AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH" screamed Jack as his momentum made him sail through the air. Falling down off the platform, he was about to land and be impaled as he suddenly stopped. Blinking, he looked to see his entire body was glowing. Looking to see Sid was picking him up with his magic, Jack smiled thankfully but his expression quickly changed back to horror as he pointed "HEADS UP"!

Sid blinking, whirled around as he stared up at the golem approaching. Unfortunately, his fist was still glowing, and when he turned to fast; he sent Jack flying back onto the platform. "Whoops, err; sorry Jack" Sid apologies as he watched the human roll into the wall.

Getting up, Jack shook his body as he took a step forward, and fell to a knee. "That does it, I'm pissed now" declared Jack furiously as the adrenaline pumping his anger, shot into his feet as he rushed at the golem. Bringing a fist back as it glowed, Jack let out a mighty roar as he slammed his fist straight into the golem's chest; shattering it to pieces. "GRAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH" screamed Jack as he went through the monster.

Landing roughly, he turned back to watch as the golem fell to pieces; completely destroyed as the magic that seemed to be activating the golem had died. As the situation calmed down, Jack let out a heavy sigh as he decided he wasn't satisfied since he had been smacked around way too many times. Turning to face the remains of the golem, Jack aimed and fired a spew of flames; usin his hand like a flamethrower to both incinerate, and push the golems remains to the edge of the platform. Watching with satisfaction as the remains went over the edge, Jack stalked over and peered as he watched the remains fall into the darkness below.

"Well, that takes care of that" Jack nodded, happy that he had showed that piece of trash who was boss. Turning to look at Sid, he grinned " Oh yeah! How was that huh"?

Rolling his eyes, Sid snorted "Alright, alright so maybe your abit stronger than I expected…but where did that power of yours comes from? The one that helped you punch a hole in its chest".

That stopped Jacks little ego trip, as he looked down at his hands curiously. "I..am not really so sure to be honest. I mean, all I was thinking about was how angry I was…and how much I wanted to make the big guy pay for all he was doing. Hurting and humiliating me, stopping me from getting what I wanted for Rarity".

"Tch, so it can only come out when you're super pissed. And here I thought you had it under control…well, least he's gone right. Let's get back to that last room" Sid snorted as he brushed past Jack, eager to get to the treasure.

Stepping back through the hole into the original room, they made their way down the second to last hallway that would lead them to the treasure, and they're desires. As Jack walked, he continued to ponder exactly how he could bring out the power that he had summoned at will. In fact, how to bring out his power at all! Getting angry seemed to do the trick, but suppose he wasn't angry? Suppose that there was a time when he simply needed it to either provide heat, or..or do anything else!

Rubbing his chin as he tried to think of an alternative way to bring out his power, he snorted "Nothing can be simple huh". Getting Sid's attention, he remarked "We come down here, get past traps, fight a giant golem and you know what would be the ultimate slap in the face? We get there and the treasures already gone". Letting out a nervous laugh at the thought, he snorted "Oh man that would seriously suck if that happened to us".

"Why did you have to bring that up" Sid asked seriously now. Stopping in his tracks, he grabbed Jack by his shoulders as he shook him "Now all I'm gonna be doing is thinking about what if's! Like what if we get there, and there's no treasure waiting for us at all"!

"Oh c'mon, that's not gonna happen…right" Jack asked seriously. Suddenly getting nervous, Jack stride past Sid towards the opening at the end of the hall, fear evident in his eyes. Reaching it, he raised a hand to block out the glow that was blinding his eyes. Squinting as his eyes adjusted, he stared in bewilderment at what was before him. "The fuuuu" Jack droned out.

It was another empty room, but a large pair of holes in both the floor, and ceiling. The holes were surrounded by encased, sea through barriers with more moon, and sun symbols on them. The glow was coming from a brilliant beam of light that was shooting out from the bottom hole to the top one. The strangest sight however was of the pure white crystal that lay in the middle of the beam, its power radiating.

"What is that thing…" Jack mused, completely in awe at the crystal. It was absolute stunning! It looked like a great gift, but not the kind Rarity would need since she had plenty of crystals. Observing the power flowing through it, Jack raised a brow at Sid as he questioned "Is it best to say that the crystal is powering this place and everything in it"?

"It would be a pretty good guess yeah" Sid nodded in agreement as he was speaking in an almost faraway voice, like his focus and mind were in a different location. Staring past the beam, he grinned at the golden glow that was coming from the last hall. "I think we've found what we're looking for" Sid smirked at Jack, pointing over at the glow.

Noticing the room filled with treasures, a wide grin split Jacks features as he pumped his fist into the air in victory. "Oh hellz yeah! We have got the treasure! Ohhh man, this is gonna be so great". Ignoring the glowing crystal beam, Jack started to head towards the treasure room when suddenly the entire room shook. "What the" grumbled Jack as a familiar roar filled the room. Looking up slowly, Jack shook his head in denial as he muttered "Oh god no".

There before him was the golem once more, angry as hell and still with the hole in its chest. "GAAAH" Jack shouted as he was slapped away. Getting up, he grunted "Owww…I..I kicked its ass! Why is it still up and about"?

"How should I know! Why would…wait a sec" Sid froze, suddenly getting an idea. Whirling around, he pointed "THAT" as he pointed at the floating crystal. "Shoot that thing! It's powering this place, so I bet its powering the golem" Sid ordered.

Jack got up, as he went to aim at the crystal. And yet, he hesitated. "Are you sure about this" Jack questioned slowly, as something inside him was telling that this was a big mistake. What if this caused the whole place to explode! They'd die in a fiery blaze!

"Of course I'm sure! Have I ever steered you wrong" Sid shouted, not wanting to be crushed by this monstrosity. Glancing at Jack who seemed to be hesitating, he shouted "He's gonna kill us both! If you die because of this, would that be fair to Rarity"?

Feeling like he had been physical socked in the gut, that seemed to be enough for Jack as he charged his fist, and let loose a beam! It soared and went through the crystal, shattering it to pieces! Almost as if reacting to the destruction, the light that had been surrounding the beam slowly built up as started to suck in energy from all around! As fast at the light had appeared, it then suddenly vanished!

Time seemed to slow down, as the golem froze on the spot; as if struck! Then wordlessly, it collapsed into pieces; crumbling before the two boys. Silence fell over them, as they slowly looked at one another in shock as they tried to register what had just happened.

"Did…did we win" Jack slowly questioned. Not receiving any answer, he breathed as he put a hand to his head. "We..we did it..I really thought for a sec we were both screwed". Seeing how Sid was just staring at where the crystal was, Jack shrugged "Guess we didn't need that thing after all".

Eyes lighting up as he remembered the treasure room, he slowly turned around to face it; a slow grin appearing on his face as he stepped into the room. Blinded, he beamed at the sight of treasure…a mountain of it! The..they did it! They had found what they wanted, and..and…Approaching the bottom of the pile, Jack reached down as he picked up what looked like a flower, it was shaped like one. But the pedals were made out of diamonds, soo…it was a diamond flower or something.

"Perfect" smirked Jack, knowing that a certain unicorn would be pleased by his finding.

_**Sorry for the aburt ending, hope it went well. I have to do some finals for this week, so if I don't update next week; then please understand. I will do my best to try and update next week though. Until then, see yaz!**_


	23. Chapter 23

_**Disclaimer: I don't own MLP. But if I did…well, I dunno. I'd see what I could and couldn't get away with, so good thing it's not mine ^_^**_

_**Chapter 23: The rite of the phoenix!**_

"Hmm, hmm hmmmm" hummed Rarity to herself, as she hummed a little tune inside her head in order to keep herself busy, and from going nuts. Whilst a small part of her was apprehensive and worried, another part was trying to constantly tell herself that Jack was okay, that he was gonna be coming home and that the nudging in her mind that was telling her that he was in trouble was nothing more than her nervous nerves.

"Jack will be home soon, there is no need for me to be worried" she smiled weakly as she sat reading a designers magazine, trying anything to keep herself busy. It seemed however that her worry was misplaced as the sound of an opening door, caught her attention. Looking up, a wide grin split her features as she spotted a certain human enter.

Grinning lightly, Jack shrugged casually in her direction. "Sup Rarity" he commented kept one hand hidden behind his back. Shaking his head in amusement as he watched Rarity trot up to him, and hug him happily; he was suddenly barraged with kisses. "Hey, hey..heh heh..not that I'm not happy to see you, but what's with the warm welcome" asked a confused human.

Rarity crossed her hooves, as she gave him a mock pout face. "This whole time I was worried for you. Something was telling me that you were in danger and from the looks of you" she paused as she noted his ripped clothes, and the dirt on his cheeks. "I was right, and you come in making light" she questioned, her eyes going dark and yet were filled with jocularity.

"Errr, yup" Jack shot back; not wanting to make this seem like it wasn't a big deal.

Pretending to be mad, Rarity turned back away smiling "Oh well. I am glad to see you again. Even though you said..wait, what's that" Rarity questioned as she pointed to Jacks hidden hand. Seeing his smirk increase, she was about to ask what he was grinning about when she halted as he showed her what he had. Outstretched in his hand, was a.a..flower..a beautiful..diamond…flower. Those..those were one of the rarest of flowers in all of Equestria, and Jack..her Jack had..found one for..her?

"It umm, is really beautiful and it..err..reminded me of your..loveliness" complimented a struggling Jack as he was not a natural romantic. Lowering his head, he struggled "Ahh, you make me feel..really good about myself, and I…couldn't think of anyone else I would rather be with. You also umm..make".

He was silenced as Rarity placed a gently hoof over his mouth, silencing his talking. Staring at her, eyes suddenly went wide as his cheeks flush red as she batted her eyes at him seductively. Gently taking the flower from his hand, she pulled him into a close hug; nuzzling her furry cheek against his bare cheek. Struggling to keep his eyes from rolling into the back of his head from the euphoric feeling, he rasped "Ahh, I guess you really like it".

"I love it Jack, I love it so much..just as much as I love you" whispered Rarity into his ear. Winking at him, she started to gently pull her towards her bedroom, reeling him into both a state of security and of pleasure.

"OOoo, I think I'm gonna like where this is gonna take me" beamed Jack.

"I think you will indeed" Rarity smiled lovingly as she closed the door.

"Da..damn" Jack breathed as he stepped outside Rarity's home. Three hours…three hours he had spent with her, bringing her up to speed about how he found pre-equestrian ruins, fought a golem, and retrieved something else apart from the flower. However, he was keeping it hidden for a special occasion. That and his diamond. Taking in a breathe as he looked down at his hands; he thought "Did I wipe my hands...oh yeah I did".

Deciding to take a walk after his little "talk" with Rarity, he decided to go for a jog. Staring to jog, he wondered to himself what he was gonna do today. To be honest, he should be sleeping since he had hardly rested since the events of the other day. The adrenaline from the over use of magic was probably keeping him awake; although he knew that later that night he was probably gonna crash. Not that he minded since he preferred..AAAGH! Jack let out a gasp of horror as suddenly his vision was obstructed, and everything went dark

. "My eyes! MY EYES! IM BLIND" Jack shouted in panic, as he failed his arms like a maniac, trying desperately to see. In the distance, he could hear someone calling his name and yet he wasn't paying attention as his foot collided with some a rock; causing him to fall face first onto the ground. Blinking, he raised his head and let out a sigh of relief. "Huh? , I can see again. What was…wha"?

Feeling something sitting on his head, Jack looked up as he found himself staring at the strangest looking bird he had ever laid eyes on. It appeared to be a bright orange bird, with glowing yellow eyes and tints of red streaks running through its feathers. The bird seemed to be a child, early teen in age; Jack wasn't exactly sure. "Well err, heya little guy. I..have no idea what you are but umm…what up"?

The bird responded back with a caw as it flew off his head, and landed in front of Jack who seemed to be trying to figure out what sort of bird it was. "Let's see here, probably aren't local since I haven't seen a lot of your kind around here. Beak is sorta shaped like a parrot, and yet it has pretty cool tail feathers…".

"Hey Jack" called a familiar voice. Turning to greet this voice, Jack was surprised to see Twilight and Spike approaching as Spike hurriedly rushed past Jack and immediately hugged the bird who in return, hugged back. "What were you thinking? That was really dangerous of you now, and you could have been hurt" scolded the dragon to the tiny bird.

"Ahh, you know the little guy" questioned Jack.

"Oh yeah, I've been taking care of Pee-wee for awhile now ever since he was abandoned by his mother and father. The little guy has been getting really restless though, since whenever I turn my back on him; he's trying to fly. His wings are getting stronger yeah, but it's just not strong enough for him to go and start flying" explained Spike, as he petted the top of the birds head, getting a coo from the little guy.

"So umm, what is he" asked Jack to Twilight, nodding in greetings towards her.

"You don't know Jack? Oh well I guess it sorta makes sense since your world doesn't have a lot of our stuff" chuckled Twilight sheepishly. "Well, Pee-wee over there is a Baby phoenix" explained Twilight as she was about to go into detail on what a phoenix was when she was suddenly shushed as Jack placed a finger over her mouth.

"Okay, just stop right there..I'm not gonna freak or nothing, since honestly im getting tired of it. But your seriously tell..okay, no I'm not asking about this place having phoenix. I'm asking on how is it that thing that is supposed to be myth and legend in my world, real in this one" asked an exasperated human.

"That's..a very good question actually. After all, it was rumored humans did come here before so perhaps there idea of mythology was inspired off of what they witnessed! Or maybe in the human world a long time ago, such things like unicorns, Pegasus, and phoenix's did exist and they had died out" Twilight theorized as she tried to break it down. As she smiled weakly at the annoyed look on Jacks face who was more interested in actual answers rather than theories, she shrugged "I don't really know Jack".

"Oh well" Jack shrugged, brushing it off as he kneeled down in front of the bird. "A phoenix eh? Whenever it dies, it rises from the ashes reborn. Smiling, he looked at Spike as he asked "Err, is he friendly"?

"See for yourself" Spike grinned, as he winked at Pee-wee; putting his claws to his mouth as he tried to keep himself from chuckling as Pee-wee flew up and landed on Jacks head. "He only really does that for people he really likes" Spike pointed out.

"Uh huh, and what exactly are you doing right now with the little guy" Jack asked as he glanced up slowly at the bird who..seemed to have a mischievous glint in its eye, as if it was about to start trolling him and the others around him. "As "cute" as you may appear, if you take a shit on my head; I swear that your ability to be reborn won't save you after I'm done with you" Jack thought to himself in silence.

"Oh boy I know that look! Twilight quick, he's gonna" Spike panicked, as he jumped to get his claws on Pee-wee as he moved away; crashing into Jack as Spike knocked the human onto his back.

"Oh dear" Twilight sighed, as she focused her magic and kept Pee-wee from flying as she could see how exhausted the phoenix was. Earlier that day, he had been doing exercises with Spike to strength his wings since Pee-wee wanted to be strong enough to fly, and go fast. No sense in having the little guy overexerts himself. "He's been trying to do this ever since practice stopped" Twilight shook her head in disappointment.

"I know. I want to find a way to help the little guy, but not if it means he gets hurt…or maybe I'm being overprotective. Do you think I'm being overprotective" questioned Spike to his friend.

"As riveting as this conversation is, can you please get off of my chest" grumbled Jack, watching as the chuckling dragon stepped off. "Funny huh" Jack smirked, an evil grin stretching onto his face as it made the dragon nervous. Before he could move, Jack got bear hugged him from behind as he started to tickle the dragon's sides. "Who's laughing now" grinned Jack.

"Ha ha! He..hey! Hehe, that..ha..that's nuh..no fai..hahaha" laughed Spike as he struggled to escape from the torturing humans grip.

"Heh, as funny as this is; I really think you should let him go Jack before he..ACK" Twilight let out a cry of shock as she had made the mistake of stepping in front of Spike when he was laughing as he accidently belched a fire ball; getting Twilight. When the smoke cleared, she blinked as she groaned "Oh no, don't tell me that it looks like".

Spike was trying so hard not to laugh after what happened since his fire had burnt off some of Twilights mane; making it strangly resemble the time she was certain a horrible disaster was about to hit ponyville.

Jack on the other hand, was laughing his ass off as he pointed at Twilight. "Heh, ha ha! Nice mane Solid Sparkle, or do you prefer Twilight Snake" grinned the cheeky human. Seeing her confused expression, he shook his head as he commented "Long story".

Chuckling, as she looked up at her weird mane cut; that's when it suddenly occurred to Twilight. "Wait a sec..where did Pee-wee go" she questioned. Snapping everyone out of there silly mood, they immediately looked around for any sight of the child phoenix, and yet could see no sign of him. "Oh no, this isn't good. Not at all" Twilight said, panic rising in her voice.

"Wha..where is he? Where'd he go? He can't be out by himself. He's not ready" Spike freaked, jumping free as he whipped his head around widely, trying desperately to locate the little guy. "Pee-wee, Pee-wee where are you" Spike called as he started to search the area, looking under carts, behind tables, in plant pots; and in the sky for any sign of the little guy.

"There he is" Jack pointed up towards the roof of Pony Joe's shop! "How'd he get up there? I thought you said he couldn't fly..well…but apparently well enough for him to get up" Jack grumbled, as he slapped himself in the head as if amazed at his own stupidity. Not about to let the little guy get himself hurt, Jack rushed towards the side of the house.

Pee-wee on the other hand, were watching with interest the spectacle below; as he looked around for some place he could practice flying. Spotting a clothes line, the phoenix beamed as he started to approach the line.

Scrambling up some barrel's, Jack hoisted himself up onto the roof as he spotted the bird. "Hey little guy, take it easy. No one's gonna hurt ya" Jack said as he attempted to keep the bird from trying anything stupid. "Let's just go back down, and try the whole flying thing another day huh" he asked. Watching as the bird started to walk on the thick clothes line, Jack panicked "No wait, don't do that" as the bird kept goin. Looking down, as he knew it was possible to survive a two story fall but he didn't feel like falling anyway.

"Jack be careful! Pee-wee, you come down here right now" scolded Spike worriedly! Seeing Jack in trouble, he was about to scramble up and help him when Twilight held him back with her magic.

"C'mon little guy, let's not be has..Whooa..oh man" Jack grunted as he slowly started to make his way across the clothes line, huddling against it. Great, his fear of heights was starting to kick in. Usually he was able to keep it under control, and therefore not worry about it. But it did seem to have the ability to kick in at the worst times possible. Watching as Pee-wee stopped walking, Jack smiled weakly as he slowly reached with an outstretched hand to grab at him.

Feeling his momentum force him forward, he snagged at the bird that flew up above his reach, a sneaky look on his face as Jack realized he had just been trolled! "GAAAAAAAH" Jack screamed as he fell from the line and into a barrel of water below, soaking him completely.

"Jack! Jack" Spike gawked as he rushed to the barrel, and looked down into it; seeing no sign of Jack. "Where are you" he asked. He got his answer when Jack emerged, his hair completely covering his eyes now as he spat a stream of water into Spikes face.

"That little guy is really troublesome" griped Jack as he climbed out of the barrel, shaking himself to get the water off. Looking up, he could see no sign of Pee-Wee. "Oh great, where'd he go now" Jack grunted as he eyed all around for sign of the bird.

"Ummm, here he is" Twilight sheepishly informed as the bird had landed on Twilight's back, tired from the excessive use of both its wings, and pranking Jack.

Seeing the little guy sitting on Twilight's back, Jack narrowed his eyes as he got up slowly; coughing as he instructed "Twilight, please hold still so I can probably grab him and…". Seeing her disapproving look as Pee-Wee started to ..make a sound that sounded like laughter, Jack turned away arms crossed as he muttered "Troll".

"Pee-wee" Spike sighed heavily as he approached. Pointing at Pee-Wee, he scolded "You could have gotten seriously hurt! Causing trouble, getting Jack wet. What's the matter with you". Watching as Pee-Wee attempted to lower his head to look shameful, Spike shook his head "Don't give me that look! I'm really disappointed in you".

Pee-Wee could see that it wasn't going to work as it flew over reached down into Twilights satchel, and removed a book. Tossing it down onto the ground, it pointed a wing at a page.

Spike blinked, as he looked down at where Pee-Wee were pointing. "The first flight of the phoenix" Spike repeated aloud.

"A trial that sees if a phoenix is ready to cross the bridge from child into teenager. As a phoenix reaches this, it becomes more and more restless as it attempts to take flight from high points in order to test itself. Eventually, it will have to undergo this rite of taking its first real unsupervised flight" Twilight read aloud as she then thought about it. It did make sense! After all, Pee-Wee could only really hover, hop up high, or fly even for a few moments. In order for this to be completed, he needed to fly completely by himself for duration of time.

"Sooo, you had the answer this whole time and you never looked it up" Jack sarcastically questioned as he watched an embarrassed Twilight blush, eyes looking everywhere as if for a way to leave. Putting a hand to his head, he commented "For a genius, you sure have your case of stupid moments".

"Hey, 's no fair. We' were too busy trying to keep him from flying off" Twilight smiled weakly as she tried to defend herself. Shaking her head, she said "Well, it at least explains why he's been acting like this and is constantly trying to take off".

"So he's not gonna stop trying to take off until he manages to go through this rite" Spike asked, as he although it was pleasing to know how to stop this; but it worried Spike since he really didn't want Pee-Wee to get himself hurt. Perhaps Twilight was right, and he was being overprotective.

"Yeah…so why not let the little guy get this rite over with, so he can go from being a pranking kid to a surly teenager" quipped Jack, earning a slight glare from Spike and Twilight. "Oh c'mon, it was just a joke" Jack smiled weakly as he became serious. "But seriously, you really should let him do this Spike so that way he can".

"Bu..but he's not ready! He has to strength his wings more, learn to fly for longer times" Spike shot back, as Pee-Wee flew onto his head, causing Spike to reach up and pet the birds head.

"And when is that going to be" Twilight asked Spike, watching as Spike gave a look of worry as he looked up at Pee-Wee sadly. "He's obviously been restless for awhile, and he has been getting a lot better in his flying. All you're really doing now is just delaying the inevitable, and keeping the little guy from going to do what he wants. Don't you want him to grow" Twilight asked.

Spike looked at Pee-Wee with sadness, evidence in his eyes that he wanted Pee-wee to stay small forever since he liked the idea of looking out for him, and taking care of him. Yet he knew Twilight was right. He wanted to grow bigger some day, so was it really fair to hold back Pee-Wee?

"Spiikkke" Jack stated slowly.

"I..your right..Both of you are right" Spike admitted to the two, as he nodded nervously. His desire to keep Pee-Wee small forever was really selfish. And if helping Pee-wee learn to fly on his own would help him..then he had to help him. "But where are we gonna help him fly? I mean, what's the highest point here in town" Spike asked, as he started to pet Pee-Wee's head.

Trying to think of how he could help his friend, Jack's eyes glanced up as he caught sight of something that could help them all. A slow smirk stretched onto his features, as Jack pointed "Sooo, a really high points huh? Cause, up there looks like a really good spot". Watching as the others slowly turned to look, Jack grinned as he commented "I think that's a good spot".

"Are…ARE YOU CRAZY" Spike declared in shock! He couldn't believe that Jack was pointing to the mountain where the girls had found a dragon that was clouding up the skies of ponyville. It certainly would be a good spot yes, but it was too high! That, and rumors of another dragon taking refuge we're spiraling all over town. "That's way too dangerous for him! I refuse to let him go through with that! It's" Spike started to shout, but was silenced as Jack stopped him.

"You didn't let me finish. What we do is that we help the little guy get to the top, whilst one of us stay's at the bottom to make sure that if he falls, then one of us will be there to catch Pee-Wee" Jack finished as he tried to keep Spike from freaking.

"Well, I guess..umm, as long as someone's at the bottom to make sure he doesn't get hurt…but what about the dragon" Spike asked, suddenly remembering.

"Dragon? What dragon" Jack repeated in confusion.

Twilight, taking this moment to grab the spotlight; explained "Awhile ago, there was a dragon sitting up on the peak, its smoke was clouding up the town and making it hard to breathe. The girls, and myself decided to check it out and managed to get the dragon to move on". Looking back up, she said "Though I suppose this means that the dragon came back, or it's a completely different one".

"So" Jack snorted, cutting off Twilight. Cracking his knuckles, Jack smirked "If there's some dragon up there that's causing trouble, we just have to kick its ass and force him out". Seeing the disbelieving looks on the faces of the two; he chuckled "I know what it sounds like I'm saying; We go up there and just thrash it around. But hey…violence seems to have worked for me best whenever I have to face against something bigger than me".

"Well, that doesn't mean it has to be the answer to everything. I'm sure that if we simply ask him to leave like the last one, he'll go" insisted Twilight, although she seemed doubtful herself.

"Oh please, Twilight there's something that you've got to learn" Jack retorted as he crossed his arms. "It doesn't matter what world you're from, whether it be from one with humans all around; or another with magical talking horses. In whatever world you're from, those with power are constantly being influenced by it. Weather to do good or evil, that's up to them. There's a saying from my world: Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely".

"You..make a good point yes, but that doesn't mean that he's going to be mean" Twi tried to insist.

"Well, there's only one real way to know for sure. Let's go right now" Spike interrupted, wanting to break this argument up; as with Pee-Wee perched on his head; started to charge off towards the mountain.

"Hey wait up Spike" Jack shouted after him, as he took off after the little guy, Twilight right behind him. In hind sight, it would have been smarter for them to have brought the others with them. But hey, everypony makes mistakes right?

"Well, this is pretty invigorating" Jack grinned eagerly, reaching out as he grabbed another holding as he pulled himself further up the rocky wall, adrenaline pumping through his veins as he wedged his foot into another holding. Climbing up the side of a mountain at a hundred or more feet in the air was pretty badass in his opinion! Especially since he had always wanted to do something like that back at the States. New York City had been fun for parkour, but not for mountain climbing.

Looking down at the path below, he called "Can you guys go any slower? I'm taking the long way and yet I'm somehow ahead of you two". To emphasize on this as he got into a small gap, he started to wall kick off the walls, shooting himself further up.

"I swear, that guy can really be an extremist. Rainbow Dash would probably be loving doing something like this" Twilight chuckled in amusement. It wasn't necessary to climb up the mountain side like Jack was doing, but it seemed like something he preferred to do. Taking the same route as last time, they had made considerable better time since they didn't have to worry about Fluttershy being there to slow them down due to her fear of dragons.

She had been able to stand up to the last one, but that had been in a spur of the moment apparently. If only she could overcome her fear permanently… As Twilight was deep in thought, she let out a tiny eep as a rock bonked her on the head. Looking up, she narrowed her eyes as she called "Careful Jack! As much fun as that looks, you could really hurt yourself" she called worryingly.

"Yeah, you're talking to a guy whose face against a hydra, a dream monster, an egotistical Pegasus, a gang of diamond dogs and survivor of insane events. I think a look rock climbing isn't gonna be what do's me in" snorted Jack in return, as he continued to scale.

"Says the egotistical human" Twi smiled in bemusement. Sometimes Jack acted like a child, with his enthusiasm. Eyeing Spike, she asked "So Spike, how's Pee-Wee holding up".

Spike looked up as he petted the now sleeping Phoenix. "He's doing really well Twilight. He certainly has calmed down a lot. I think it's because he knows that we're taking him to do this rite. I just wonder though when this is all over, will he still sticks around? As a teen, he'll be more rebellious and want to find his…own path" Spike explained, already getting it before Twilight opened her mouth.

"Just like you did when you had joined the Dragon migration" Twilight smiled weakly in return. Patting Spike on the back, she encouraged "I'm sure he'll stick around a little longer, and if he does leave; then he'll at least visits you. He won't forget the one who helped raise him up".

"Do you really think so Twilight" Spike asked hopefully, wanting to believe her.

"Oh I know so Spike" Twilight insisted helpfully. Looking back up at Jack, she asked "What do you think about him though? Do you think that he'll ever want to leave"?

"Well, Jack did say he wasn't going home soo I don't have any problem with him staying. I want him to stay since he's been a really good friend to me, kinda like a brother" Spike admitted.

"Even though he's now with Rarity" Twilight questioned, hoping that wouldn't strike a nerve.

Spike looked down casted at that, as he spoke "I have to admit, I was upset at first since I well…I admitted how I felt to Rarity, but she told me that she only saw me as a friend..noting more" Spike softly explained, sadness evident in his voice. "It did make me jealous seeing her connect with Jack, but..I'm not gonna be mad or jealous..if this is how it's gonna be than". Looking at Twilight, he smiled weakly "Then I'll support them".

"That's really grown up of you Spike" Twilight nodded to Spike in approval.

"Hey guys" Jack shouted excitedly as he through his arm up excitedly as he reached the top. "Guess what! I reached the top" he called down with a grin as he found himself climbing over the large wall. As soon as he reached it, he vaulted over and found himself sliding down a rocky hill into the darkness below. "WHoooaAAaaaaaa" Jack shouted as he let out an oof as he collapsed.

"Oww" grunted Jack as he rubbed his head, blinding by the sudden darkness. "Who turned off the sun" Jack muttered as he felt himself brushed roughly against something, but he couldn't make it out. Whatever it was, it was pretty rough. Snapping his fingers as he got an idea, he glared at his fist as he ignited it; lighting up the darkness.

However, he wished he didn't as he realized why his landing was so rough! He had just landed on the nose of a sleeping dragon! "Ohhhh..crap" Jack moaned softly, as one thought ran through his head.

"Welp…I'm boned".

_**Cliff hanger! Will Jack escape the evvvvil dragon? I dunno, I'm the writer. Anywho, finals are almost over for me. See u all next week!**_


	24. Chapter 24

_**Disclaimer: No owning my little pony, though I am curious on what should be in season 3 that wasn't in season 2. I wonder, if a human character was made and if it was done right so the human wasn't a Gary/Mary Sue; would it work?**_

_**Chapter 24: Reptilian evasion and Flight aviation**_

"What was it about him that drew all these horrible things to him" Jack thought to himself bitterly as he stared at the sleeping dragons closed eyes. It seemed that every single time he turned around, something was trying to kill him! Was he Hitler in a past life and was now being punished for it? Shaking his head, he whispered "As much fun as it would be fighting something bigger than me again; I think I'll pass".

Turning away, he started to slowly tiptoe towards the end of the dragon's nose, hoping not to step on any spot that would wake up the big guy. All he had to do was get out, find Twilight and Spike, and get to the top of the mountain to help Pee-Wee. As his thoughts played through his mind, he blinked as a horrid scent went up his nose; causing him to cough lightly in response. It smelt like something horrible was burnt.

"Crud, what is that smell" muttered Jack, as he put a hand to his mouth; he grunted "Errg". Suddenly, a horrible feeling made its way through his stomach as he felt like something was staring directly into his soul. Freezing on the spot, Jack closed his eyes as he muttered "I'm going to turn around, and he's going to be looking right at me". Slowly turning, Jack opened his eyes and found a pair of pure yellowish eyes, with a tint of red; glaring at him with contempt.

"Ahem…ummm…what up" Jack tried, going for the friendly approach?

"Do you think Jack's alright" Spike asked, letting out a giggle as Pee-Wee tickled his back with his wings. They had gone the long way around, and now had just made it to the point where he had vanished. Jack had fallen into a dark hole that led into a cave. It was really high up sadly, and difficult to reach, and yet there was Twilight climbing up to check on him.

"I'm sure he's fine Spike. Probably just went ahead of us to see if he could find some adventure. One of these days, he's gonna get into too much trouble that he won't be able to handle" Twilight sighed as she rolled her eyes at the situation they were in. They had to get up before nightfall, and Jack wanting to go ahead had now hindered their progress. Hopping up from one slanted rock to the next, she called "How's our trip looking"?

Spike looked at the position of the sun as he watched as it went forward for a moment, but then went back just as fast. Blinking at the weirdness of that, he thought to himself. "Huh, that's really weird" Spike admitted aloud.

Reaching the top, Twilight let out a victorious laughter as she smiled "Ha ha! I may not be the most athletic pony, but I can certainly hold my own!Heh heh, I'm not just an "Egghead" Rainbow Dash" she chuckled aloud.

Peeking down into the hole, she narrowed her eyes as she attempted to see; but found herself unable to as it was pitch dark apart from a tiny little light that was really far down and..seemed to be moving?

"Uhhh, hello? Jack are you okay" Twilight called out down into the darkness.

She was having a hard time seeing, yet she could kinda make out what looked to be the tiny light making its way towards her at high speed. "Umm, helloooOOOOAAAAAHHH" she screamed as suddenly Jack leaped out of the hole, crashing into her. The two of them went into a mess, rolling down the rocky sides until they ended in a heap on the ground.

Sitting up, Twilight let out a weak laugh as her eyes rolled in a cartoonish manner. Slapping the side of her head, she shook it rapidly as she looked at Jack to see him scrambling to his feet. "Umm, Jack what's wrong" she asked concerned.

"GIANT FREAKIN DRAGON! IN HOLE! RUN" Jack shouted as he pointed towards the path that led high up the mountain and towards what looked like a small forest. A loud roar interrupted his thoughts as the mountain started to slowly shake in response. "Get up, we're going" Jack shouted, as he got next to Twilight and helped her up as he started to lead her, trying his best to ignore the constant shaking as he fell onto the path. Seeing Spike ahead had read the forest, probably from the dragons roar; Jack shoved Twilight behind a large boulder as he ducked for cover.

"What happened to Mr. Tough guy" Twilight asked in an almost mocking manner.

"Uhh yeah, I know that I have a habit for taking things bigger than me. But when that thing is something that isn't hurt by fire, and skin is so tough that my fist can shatter just by trying to punch it; that's where I draw the line" Jack snapped back angrily, as he watched the dragon free itself.

A large clawed hand emerged from the hole they had come from, as the rocks surrounding it collapsed. Gripping at the boulders, it hoisted itself out as the entire mountain seemed to explode, the dragon emerging as falling rocks and boulders fell all around, the creature roaring angrily at its rest being disturbed. Eyes sweeping around suspiciously for sight of the intruders, the dragon sniffed at the air as it tried to sense where they were.

Jack and Twilight looked at each other in horror, as they hoped that the monster wouldn't see them. Sweat pouring down his brow, Jack thought to him "We need a way out, a way to get to the forest. If we can get to the trees, we can probably hide out of sight since the trees look pretty thick. Course, first problem is getting past big and ugly over here" he laughed quietly to himself.

"Not good, not good, not good" Twilight panicked in her head, as she wondered to herself how she got herself into these situations. She wasn't complaining really, but it seemed that she kept getting herself into these situations. A part of her doubted the other ponies had to put up with this. Looking up as an idea came to her mind, she grinned as she smiled before turning to Jack.

"I have an idea" They spoke simultaneously.

Blinking, Jack responded "Ahh, you first".

"Well okay, I think what we should do is that I'll use my magic to lift one of those boulders over there. I'll toss it down the side, and get his attention. Once he looks away, you and me make a break for the forest" Twilight smiled, crossing her hooves; proud of her idea.

"You…I call copyright infringement. You stole my idea" snapped Jack quietly, pointing an accusing finger at Twilight.

"Are you sure that you didn't get that backwards? Cause I'm pretty sure I came up with…erg, forget it. I think it will work, but we're gonna have to move fast though because this dragon looks a lot meaner then the first one that was here. I don't think that he's gonna leave quietly this time since Fluttershy isn't around" Twilight whispered.

"Alright, get ready…set…throw it" Jack ordered, as he watched as Twilight lifted up a large boulder, sweat pouring down her face from how heavy that it was. Wiping some of it away from her, she smiled wearily as the boulder reared back and then was tossed down the path they had traveled. Watching as the dragon's ears perked up at the sound of the smash, it quickly started to scamper and scurry to investigate.

"Okay, here's our chance" insisted Twilight, as she led the way, rushing out from cover and dashing towards the forest. Galloping as fast as she could, Twilight looked back to see the dragons attention on where the rock had fallen was only very brief as it was staring down with an almost disinterred look. "Oh no, move it Jack" she beckoned, as she dove into some bushes.

"Aggh, my leg.." Jack hissed as he picked the worse time to get a Charlie horse, as he collapsed onto his knee. Hissing in pain, he realized that the stress that he had put on from the golem fight hadn't fully recovered. Looking back to see the dragon was going to spot him, Jack looked at one of his old wounds that were almost completely healed. "I hope you can seal this with magic Twilight" Jack whispered as he raised his hand, and dug it into his skin, opening his chest wound again as he fell down and played dead.

"Jack! What are you doing" Twilight hissed from her hiding spot, horrified at the sight of this.

Spike gaped at seeing his friend, intentionally opening his wound to make himself look dead as he put a claw to his mouth to keep himself from vomiting. Praying to Celestia that he was alright, Spike reached up to keep Pee-Wee close as he felt…nothing? Panic rushed through him, as he looked around rapidly for the sight of the mischievous phoenix. Turning back towards Jack, Spike almost screamed in fear.

"Go away" hissed Jack, as he laid bleeding out on the ground; Pee-Wee having approached in concern for him. Feeling the earth start to tremor and shake, Jack froze as he dared not move with the monstrous creature approaching fast. "If there is a god, then please don't let this scaly creep kill me yet" Jack whispered to himself as he watched the ground get darker, the silhouette of the dragon blocking out the sun.

The dragon watched as a baby phoenix flew up at him as it..started to peck at his nose? Letting out a snort, he watched as the bird went sailing down into the trees as it knelt down to examine the strange, bleeding creature. Sniffing it, he had to admit it did smell yummy. The question was though weather it was still fresh, or if it even tasted good? Testing this, it' slimy tongue slithered from its maw, slurping up the creature's body.

Twilight put a hoof to her mouth to keep herself from either yelling out and giving away her position, or by screaming for Jack to get out of there since she didn't want to see her friend get eaten up.

"EEEWWWWWWWWWW" Jack thought, as he felt the cold tongue lick him. Thank goodness the guy couldn't see the look on his face since he was lying face down with his eyes out of sight of the monster.

Leaning back, the dragon let out a disgusted gasp, putting a claw in his mouth to emphasize how disgusting the thing tasted. Just because it looked and smelled tasty, didn't mean it was sadly. Frowning in annoyance, the dragon snorted as his smoke enveloped the creature. Turning away from it, the dragon stomped away slowly; dissatisfied with its find. If there was nothing good to eat in these parts, there was no sense in him really sticking around.

Blinking slowly as the stomps started to get further, and further away; Jack lifted his head up as he could barely see through the smoke; the sight of the departing monster taking a great amount of stress off of him.

Letting out a weak laugh, Jack snorted "Ha ha, woooo man. That was too clo..hack". Jack started to immediately cough, the smoke entering his lungs and sending him into a coughing fit. It seemed that he choose the wrong time for it as his coughing fit got the dragons attention as he slowly started to turn around to face him. Getting to his feet, Jack waved his hand rapidly to get the smoke outta his face. "Crap, that's just what I needed! Some smoke in the…uh oh" he moaned as the stomping started to get closer and closer.

Twilight pointed behind him, fear evident in her eyes. Spike had both his clawed hands over his mouth; blocking his screams.

"Oh no" groaned Jack as he slowly turned around, staring into a golden belly. Looking up slowly, he moaned as he gulped at the sight of the dragon leering down. Watching as the creature flashed its razor sharp teeth, Jack slowly turned around as he started to walk away robotically. "He's not there if I don't see him, He's not there if I don't".

!

"SHIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTT" Jack shouted as he ran as fast as he could, heading towards the forest to get away from the monster. "Guys, run for it" Jack shouted, watching as the pony, dragon, and phoenix turned and ran for their lives! "Crud, Crud, Crud..OH CRUD" Jack shouted as he jumped in time to avoid being devoured as the dragon slammed its head into the ground in an attempt to swallow him whole.

"Keep heading deeper into the forest, he won't be able to follow cause of the trees" Twilight shouted back to Jack.

"Unless he decided to burn it all down" snapped back the human, as he aimed back at the dragon, and started firing pyro burst at his head. It was completely useless, the blast bouncing off of the dragon's forehead and shooting off into different directions. "I just don't have good luck" Jack thought as one of the burst scored the dragons left eye, causing him to rear back roaring in pain as he gripped his eye.

"Huh, I caught a break" Jack thought cheekily.

But it seemed that his luck wasn't gonna last, as the dragon quickly recovered as he reared his neck back as he smacked his head into the trees; knocking over trunks as the combined shockwave sent Jack flying off of his feet, and landing in front of the galloping Twilight. "No wait, STOP..OOF" Jack shouted as Twilight tripped during her running and fell onto Jack, inciting a grunt of pain.

"Ooo, sorry Jack" she smiled wearily.

"It's cool, wasn't the first time" Jack moaned in pain.

"Get up, we need to get out of here" Spike panicked, shaking Jack rapidly in an attempt to snap him out of his weariness. The situation was really getting worse and worse by the second. A dragon was awake, and trying to kill them, his baby phoenix was trying to get to the top in an attempt to make things right by getting through his rite of passage; and these two were just lying here!

"Don't worry" Jack grumbled, getting to his feet as he helped up Twilight. "We'll take care of things..just need to figure out how" he admitted.

"LOOK OUTTT" Spike screamed, pointing behind the two of them!

Whirling around, Jack gasped as he threw himself aside to avoid having his head bitten off as the dragon slammed his large head down once more in an attempt to get them. Peeking his head up from the bushes he had fallen into, he started to back up further and further into the thick trees as the dragon tried to force his head through. Slowly knocking over trees and such as he continued to clamp at Jack, the dragon snarled as he was desperate to get his mit's on the human.

"Get back! Staying the hell away from me" Jack snapped as he kicked furiously at the dragon's nose, hopping he wouldn't get eaten alive. Watching as the dragon's maw opened, Jack stared at the maw as he watched a glowing light started to appear down his throat. "Oh no…he's gonna" Jack thought, eyes bulging from their sockets as he found himself staring at his death in the face. As it was about to erupt, Jack raised his hands in front of his face as if to shield himself. "AAAGGGHHHHHH" Jack screamed as the fire emerged, consuming Jack within it.

"JACK, NOOOOOOO" Spike screamed in terror, shaking his head in disbelief at the notion that his friend had been fried to a crisp! As the torrent of fire died, Spike slapped himself to see if he was seeing right. Seeing if Jack was…not dead?

Blinking several times from the unexpected heat wave, Jack looked over himself. His clothes were burnt yeah, but that didn't hurt at all. "What the hell" he muttered aloud as he stared at the dragon, who looked completely and totally stunned that his fire didn't work. "Oh..I can use fire magic soo…maybe I'm resistant to it too? Heh, wow that's awesome" Jack thought to himself. Letting out a loud chuckle, Jack got to his feet as he raised his middle finger at the dragon. "That's right big guy! Your little scorching trick aint gonna do Jack! What now huh" shouted the human.

He got his answer as he threw himself aside as the dragon lunged his neck forward and snapped his jaws through several tree trunks.

"Oh yeah, he can still kill me like that" Jack grumbled, slapping himself upside the head as if shocked by his own stupidity. Running as fast as he could towards the others, he wondered to himself "It seems that I have a constant habit of running for my life. I think I've been doing ever since I got here to Equestria".

"Jack, c'mon" beckoned Twilight as she and Spike had rushed deeper into the forest to the point where the dragon couldn't get himself in.

Leaping into the air, Jack slid on the ground as he ended up in front so his friends. Sighing, he got to his feet as he turned around to stare at the dragon who was crying to claw his way inside. Eventually, Jack watched as the dragon snorted in anger as he got back and started to fly away. "Woo, that was…close. Boy, we really showed him didn…hey what are you two doing? Leggo" Jack protested as Twilight and Spike hugged him close.

"I thought that you were gone, why do you have to go and play hero like that" Twilight cried, hugging him close.

"You idiot! Do you not think about what others but yourself? How do you think Rarity would have reacted if I went back and told her you were gone" Spike cried as well.

"Guys, guys calm down" Jack insisted as he tried to ease his friend's pain. "Look, I had abit of a scare too, I really thought that I was dead. But I'm not okay, alright? So please, just don't cry alright" Jack smiled weakly, abit touched they care this much but wanting them not to be upset.

"*Sniff..just please Jack..dont do that..dont do that again" Twilight sighed weakly, wiping any stray tears from her eyes.

"Alright, Alright..you've made your point. Just stop with the tears please" Jack begged, really uncomfortable with being hugged like this, by two mythical creatures. As they let go, Jack stared out where the dragon had gone. "Still, it looks like it worked. The monster's gone, and hopefully that's the last we'll see of him". Turning back to the two, he sighed "Though knowing my luck, he'll be back".

"Alright, so we just gotta keep going a little bit further before we reach…there" Spike pointed up to the top. A long slanted hill that ended with a giant tree; resided at the top of the hill. "So close, and yet so far" Spike awed at the sight.

"When we get back to Ponyville, I'm gonna eat like a refuge. I'm starving" commented Jack as they continued on their trip.

For a while as they walked, they were completely silent; stewing in their own thoughts. Twilight was curious on how things were going with Rarity, as she knew that Spike had feelings for her; even if she didn't return them, yet she was overruled by her concerns. "Sooo umm..Jack" Twilight spoke up, getting his attention. "How are things going with you and Rarity? I mean, I don't think I've ever seen her so happy before" spoke an observant Twilight.

"Oh well, things between us are going great. I uhh..went and found a really expensive flower, and umm..gave it to her" blushed Jack, feeling that someone as tough as him giving something that an old romantic would do; appeared..strange.

"Oh? That was really nice? And what did Rarity do about that" questioned a nonchalant Twilight, who was trying her best to resist smirking an impish smile.

"Ahhh, umm.." Jack commented, as he looked down at Spike who was staring curiously. "She did things to me that I swore I would not say to anyone else. Though the experience was very..magical" Jack answered slowly to Twilight, trying his best to resist laughing at the confused look on Spike's face.

"What is he talking about" Spike questioned, completely clueless.

Patting Spike on the head, Jack chuckled "You'll find out when you get older. Trust me".

Striding past the confused Spike, Jack froze as he realized that they were about to leave the forest. The large tree was probably a good mile, or two away from them now. At least that's how it looked to him, and they were gonna be right out in the open if they tried to walk out. "Oh no.." Jack grumbled as he looked up in the sky, and all over for any sign of the dragon.

"What? What is it" Twilight asked nervously, seeing Jack's worried expression.

"We gotta cross that, and I'm worried about the dragon" Jack slowly explained, wondering where the dragon had gotten to. A horrible image of them crossing played in his head that resulted in the dragon swooping out of the clouds; spewing fire everywhere as he torched the land; incinerating his friends. "Hey Twilight? How strong is your magic? Is it strong enough to keep us safe from dragon fire" asked Jack.

"I..I don't know. I've never tried anything like that before" Twilight explained.

"Well, I really don't…you know what..maybe I should just go. I can't get burnt, and I think I can avoid being eaten so..I'll take Pee-Wee across to the tree alright" concluded the human.

"Jack wait! You don't have to do that! I'm Pee-Wee's papa, it's up to me to help keep him safe. I gotta..mmpf, mmpf" Spike blinked as he was silenced as Jack placed his hand on his mouth, silencing him.

"Pee-Wee needs you. As his dad, he's gonna look to you for a lot of things before he goes off to be his own..bird. So, if you get burnt to a crisp or eaten; than how are you supposed to be around to look out for him" Jack explained. As Spike was about to protest once more, Jack silenced him by pulling Spike into a hug. "Look, I know that you disagree with me. But hey, the little guy is gonna need his daddy so…see ya" Jack smirked as he let go, and plucked Pee-Wee from Spikes head as he started to charge out into the open.

"Jack wait" protested Spike, not wanting anything crazy to happen, but knowing that is was impossible since this was Jack he was talking about here.

Ignoring everything else around him, Jack sprinted out in the opening. "Faster, faster. Not good enough, never good enough. Gotta go faster, faster, FASTER" he told his mind, as he held Pee-Wee close to his chest. Hearing a familiar roar overhead, Jack glanced up as he commented in an almost bored tone "Oh no, the dragon is coming to kill me. Whatever shall I do". As the dragon swooped down and was about to pluck the human up with his talons, Jack rolled out of the way sliding across the ground as he smirked "Too slow big guy".

"Ohhhh, why does he always have to do these things" Twilight asked aloud to no pony in particular. Watching as the dragon started to come down and grab at him again, Twilight panicked as he closed her eyes and started to focus her magic. Placing it around Jack, she had intended to put up a force field. Instead, she teleported him five feet in the air.

"Oof, thanks Twilight" snapped Jack in aggravation, as he landed on his back harshly. Rolling back up, he gasped as the dragon started to swoop down again as he started to come straight for Jack. Getting an idea, Jack charged at the dragon as he leaped into the air and on the dragons back. Running down his back to the tail, Jack leaped off of the edge, and onto the ground as he neared the tree.

"Your almost there Jack! You can do it" Spike shouted encouragingly for his friend. Seeing how mean the dragon was being, Spike ran towards the dragon to get his attention. "Hey! Hey! Down here you big bully! That's right, I'm talking to you! Why don't you stop picking on Jack, and leave my..WHOOAAA" Spike shouted as the dragon responded by flapping his wings in Spike's direction. The wind power from it, sent Spike flying backwards as he slammed into Twilight.

Witnessing it, Jack's eyes slanted into an angry glare; grinding his teeth at the sight of his friend being hurt. As the dragon started to fly back to get Jack, he raised a single fist into the air as he jumped into the air whilst still holding Pee-Wee. Landing on the dragon's large nose, Jack brought his fist down hard; slamming it into the dragon's nose. Surprisingly, it hurt as the dragon let out a wince of obvious pain.

Leaping off of the creature's nose as he watched him slide into the ground; Jack stalked towards the brute angrily, still huffing as he decided to do the same trick that he did before with the jerks that had attacked him, AJ, and Big Macintosh. Using his powers to increase the amplification of his voice, he shouted "SCUM! HOW DARE YOU HARASS MY FRIENDS"!

The dragons eyes widened in shock, worried by the change of voice as the creature before him was now speaking in a much deeper voice then before; and therefore more intimidating.

"I AM TRYING TO HELP OUT, AND YOU'RE HERE CAUSING SHIT FOR MY FRIENDS! EITHER YOU BACK OFF NOW AND LEAVE PONYVILLE, OR THE PAIN YOU FEEL IN YOUR NOSE IS NOTHING COMAPRED TO WHAT IM GONNA DO TO YOUR SPINAL CORD" threated an infuriated Jack, his body ignited as the flames didn't hurt Pee-Wee.

Flinching in fear at the sight of this angry human, the dragon turned tail as he started to fly away; wanting to get away from this freakish creature! Whatever it was, it was powerful and he wasn't gonna mess with this thing!

As soon as the creature was out of sight, Jack collapsed to his knees; exhaustion from his powers and the events of today wearing him down. Hearing his friends coming, Jack forced himself to get up as he grunted "You know what? Forget everything I said before about eating, or anything. When I get home, I'm sleeping".

"Y..you just scared off a dragon! That..that was incredible! How did you do it" Twilight grinned excited, wanting to know the secret of Jacks success.

"I uhh..I don't know..I just got angry, and started yelling" admitted a confused Jack, not knowing how he had been able to pull off that angry trick of his. A small part of him was apprehensive, as he wondered if he should tell about destroying that beam of light, and how the other one had powered him up. But Sid had made him promise to keep the existence of another human secret, so it really wasn't his place to tell. Shrugging casually, he said "Doesn't matter. Point is, we got Pee-Wee here".

"Not if it means that you get hurt in the process! Jack, I'm worried since you're really blowing off whenever you get hurt, and.." Spike started to say.

"I SAID IM FINE" snapped Jack angrily, not wanting to talk about it. Surprised at his own outburst, he apologized "Sorry, look let's just get this done". Bringing Pee-Wee to the tree, Jack spoke "Alight, get up there and let's see what you can do". Watching as Pee-Wee hovered to the top branch, he started to sweat as Pee-Wee approached the edge.

"Oh man, Oh man, Oh man this isn't good. I don't think..I don't know if he'll be able to..Oh Celestia no, PEE-WEE" Spike shouted as he watched Pee-Wee jump from the edge. Closing his eyes, he couldn't watch his friend fall to his death. Not hearing the sound of his bones crushing, Spike opened his eyes as a slow grin spilt his features at the sight of his friend flying!

"Well I can't believe it! He did it" Twilight grinned in amazement!

Pee-Wee soared, completely free in the skies as he dive bombed down towards Spike and the others, eager to show off what he could do. Flying in circles around them, he started to fly straight up in the air before coming straight back down; stopping in front of Spike as Pee-Wee hugged his daddy.

"You did it! Great job Pee-Wee! I'm so happy for ya! It..huh" Spike blinked as he noticed that Jack was starting to swerve back and forth. "Uhh? Are you alight" Spike questioned.

"Ahh, I'm cool. Just gonna pass out since the adrenaline that's been keeping me going has finally run out. I really am making a habit of passing out huh" commented an airy Jack, as he fell forward and into unconsciousness; smiling wearily at the fact that he was able to keep his friends safe.

_**Did it! Made it through another semester. I'm close to a 3.0, so I hope I can make it. Anyway, read and review. **_


	25. Chapter 25

_**Disclaimer: Well, I'm rather pleased with the reviews I've been getting, as well as being pleased with that I haven't been getting writers block. Though admittingly, it's hard at times to think up chapters and stuff. **_

_**A/N: For this chapter, I will keep referring to the characters as who they are, and who they are becoming/acting as. It might get abit confusing, but should be easy to keep up with. **_

_**Chapter 25: Daring Do, and Temple of Smooze**_

"And so it was, that thanks to Daring Do, Shimmering Sapphire, and Heated Hank, Ahuitzotl had lost the Shankamare stones, and had been defeated! The day had been saved once again" read an excited Rainbow Dash aloud, on the edge of her seat at finishing the epic conclusion to the next novel of Daring Do. She was pleasant surprised by the appearance of two new characters assisting Daring. Shimmering Sapphire, a rich, somewhat snobbish, and yet eager to help unicorn, and a dragon named Heated Hank; an easily irritated, cocky, tough guy who loved a good fight.

"So do you like reading that aloud, or do you simply like the sound of your own voice" commented an annoyed Jack, as he ideally tossed a stone up into the air and catching it. It had been a few days, and he was now as back to normal as he'd ever be. Now here he was just here relaxing with his friends, wondering if anything interesting was going to happen today.

Shooting Jack a glare, Dash snorted "Oh I dunno, hearing you talk can get pretty boring".

"Oh is that right" Jack grumbled as he got up, glaring daggers at Dash.

"Ugghh, I swear the slightest thing sets you too off" Rarity commented, as she admired the beautiful sky, and found there bickering annoying.

"I guess..hey you know what this reminds me of! The time where Daring, Shimmers, and Heated all were having trouble getting along! Whilst at the end of the book they had gotten along better, at the beginning they were always at each other's throats! We're kinda like them when you think about it" Dash pointed out, wondering what it would be liked to be Daring Do.

"Oh please, as if I'm at all anything like this Heated Hank guy" Jack mock laughed, ignoring the giggling and smirking from his two pony friends.

"I dunno…prone to violence, hot headed, and loves to act like a jerk at times..if it weren't for him being a dragon, and you a human; I'd say you were brothers" Dash joked, causing Jack to flinch in anger at the jest.

"Oh, and I'm sure that your similar to Daring with your ability to constantly save the day, do all the heroics, and somehow does this whilst listening to herself talk" Jack snapped back.

"Not like Rarity, who sounds just like Shimmers " Dash teased, as she started pointing off the reasons. "With her constant bickering, and pointing out on why she doesn't like to be in the situations she's in. Sure, she comes around in the end; but she's a real…whiner".

Not about to be insulted like that, Rarity narrowed her eyes angrily, as she charged up her horn, intending to give Rainbow Dash something that would make her eat those words. "I'll show you who's a winner" she declared, shooting a beam of violet light. Missing Rainbow Dash, it struck the book which started to glow and shake; rising into the air.

"What the hell" Jack shouted as a sudden burst of wind came from nowhere, as the book opened; pages turning rapidly. Feeling a powerful suction, Jack turned as he grabbed onto a tree in fear! The book was trying to suck him in!

"Agggh, ho..hold on" Jack shouted, surprised by these turns of events. Turning to face his friends, his eyes bulged to see them already being sucked into the book, vanishing in a flash of light. Looking at his finger tips to see them slowly letting go, he managed to get out an "OOOOHHH CRAAAAAAAAP" as he was forced to let go. With that, he vanished into the book in a brilliant, white light.

Sunlight shinned into Jacks' eyes as he raised his hands to block it out. Groaning as light flashed through the small cracks of the thick jungle, Jack sat up; groaning as he rubbed the back of his head slowly. As he brought his hand down towards his neck, he felt something weird. "Huh, neck feels kinda rough" he mused as he looked down and spotted two others ponies…"What the fu.." he drowned out, as the Pegasus got up first.

Her mane and tail were in a..familiar style, but that's where it ended. Her mane and tail we're a greyish color that was against golden fur. Her eyes were a ruby red. She wore a beige flight jacket, and a familiar hat.

The other wore a small red cap with a long golden line. Her mane and tail were also familiar, yet looked different. Her mane and tail we're a brilliant emerald color, against blue fur. Her eyes were yellow, and she seemed to be wearing a purple skirt.

"Wh..who are you two" Jack slowly asked, wondering if this was all just one wacked out dream.

The Pegasus looked at him, eyes widening as she spoke "Ja..Jack"?

"Rainbow Dash" Jack gasped as he looked her up and down. "Y..what happened" he asked as he pointed at her in shock. Watching as Dash looked over herself, he observed as she looked into a tiny pool of water at her reflection. A slow smirk etched her features as she started to jump up and down excitedly, pumping her hooves into the air.

"Alright! I'm Daring Do! WOO HOO" Daring grinned cheerfully, soaring high up into the air and then dive bombing back down in front of the now awakened unicorn.

"I must say…what happened? Where are we" Rarity asked aloud, looking overself as she wondered why she looked so different. "Oh my..well, I certainly look beautiful. What do you think Jack? Jack what do…" she slowly drowned out as she stared at..what she assumed was Jack.

"What? What the hell are you too looking at" Jack demanded, not liking the looks they were giving. Putting a claw up to his neck, he scratched it once more…wait..hold on…when did he get claws. Rushing over to the pond, he couldn't believe what was looking back. His red skin was hardened and tough, covered in scales. He retained his messy black hair, and hetrochromic eye's but that's where it ended. He now had a medium sized tail, with equal sized wings..he had a snout now, rows of sharp teeth…he was a..a..

"Dra..dra..dragon" repeated Hank as he looked down to see he was wearing a sleeveless black shirt that was ripped on its edges, that was under an opened light grey vest. "What..what happened to us? Why do we look like the characters from your book? And speaking of which, where are we" demanded an angry Hank.

"Isn't it obvious! We're in the jungle part of Daring Do, and the Temple of Smooze" grinned Daring, as she pointed north. "And in that direction is the temple that Daring is searching for" she smirked eagerly, wanting to get there as fast as she could to go through all the traps and trials.

"Wait..we're inside the book? How did that happen" Hank questioned, unable to have his mind wrap around the concept of being in a book.

"I think I got a good idea" Daring nonchalantly commented, eyeing Shimmers who now had a bright pink blush appearing on her cheeks. "I'm guessing when her magic struck the book, it reacted in sucking us in since..it was fueled by her emotions or something. I dunno it all myself, it's just a guess really". Beaming, Daring flew into the air as she commented "But what's it matter? We're inside a book staring my favorite character, where I get to be her"!

"And how does that explain me being a dragon? Cause apart from Spike, I'm not really on best relationships with dragons" Hank grunted, as he admitted it felt weird having a tail bone. It felt even weirder on how he had really struggle to move his tail left and right.

"Well, there were three main characters of the book. Daring, Shimmers, and Heated. Since the first two were ponies, I guess the book compensated by making you into a dragon for this story. Soooo till we get to the end, you're stuck like that…hey look on the bright side" Dash smiled weakly as she tried to think of something to make him feel better. "Could be worse, you coulda been turned into something like a mouse, or uhh…a..".

"Not helping" Hank cut off, as he flexed his muscles. He had to admit, there were perks to being a dragon. Like being able to fly! And being able to shoot fire from his mouth instead of his hands. Wondering what it was like, Jack aimed at a rock as he opened his mouth and felt heat powering up in his throat. Letting out a spew, he immediately started jumping up and down; gripping his tongue. "HOOOOOTT" Hank shouted in surprising pain! Just cause his outsides were immune to fire, didn't mean his insides were!

"Really Jack, you need to be more careful. Just because your tough, doesn't mean you have to go proving it" Shimmers point out, not wanting him to hurt himself. Looking down at her skirt, Shimmers sighed "Although I do wish that the type of clothe used for this was much better, since the fabric looks like it could tear easily. That's not a sign of a good skirt, and what really matters is" she started to drone on.

"Enough of your babbling, we need to get to the temple" Daring grinned eagerly, brushing past her friends as she started to shove branches out of her way. She could go and fly ahead yeah, but where was the fun in skipping over the trials to get to the temple; even if they were just annoying.,

"I must say, why do we have to go through this hot, heated jungle. I mean it's really annoying with all the constant twigs I have to step over. The branches keep blocking my view, and the air isn't very clea…wha..what" Rarity gasped as she realized she was acting exactly like Shimmers from the book! Complaining about trivial matters, and annoying her friends.

"Pfft, don't matter to me one way or another, all I want to do is find this Ahuitzotl and beat his face in! It shouldn't be too hard for someone like me" smirked an eager Hank, cracking his knuckles as he was eager for some blood. Blinking a few times, he commented "Huh, I'm acting abit more macho then usual".

"That's cause your both acting the roles of your characters. Kinda like I am" Dash smirked, as she froze in her place. Looking at the trees, she placed her hooves around some bark as she sniffed it. "Hmmm, smells poisonous. That can't be good" she mused as she tried to figure out where the scent was coming from. Spotting a dart, she smiled lightly as she pulled it loose from the tree. "Just like in the book, we're not alone" smirked Daring.

"I am not Heated Hank. I am Jack Conner's" Hank referred to himself over, and over again as he didn't want to get wrapped up in any identity confusion. The last thing that Jack wanted was to keep calling himself Hank, because that wasn't his name. Therefore, if he kept doing it; all he would be doing is causing himself stress and problems whilst being conflicted!

"Oof" Hank grumbled as he bumped against Daring, who had stopped in her tracks. Rubbing his now sore nose, Hank snapped "What was that about? We're you too caught up in the fact of being Daring Do that you had to stop to observe how "cool" you are" he asked angrily.

Daring raised a hoof to silence any angry remark's from Hank, as she spoke softly "To the east and west, we're surrounded. The Waziri have blowguns sighted on us" Daring slowly whispered, not wanting them to get shot at. Not moving, her eyes slowly looked around as through the trees, the sight of native zebra's; glaring at the intruders.

The Waziri was the local tribe that kept outsiders away from the temple. They worked for no pony, not even Ahuitzotl himself.

"Oh dear, what..what should we do" Shimmers gulped, looking around rapidly; like a frightened rabbit searching for an escape.

"Stop moving so much, or they'll shoot us" Daring snapped softly, pointing towards the thick bush ahead. "Alright, alright here's the plan" Daring whispered to the two of them. "On three, we rush for those bushes; and head straight for the river. We cross it, and then we should be in the clear. Just keep your head down, and you won't get shot".

"Sounds cool, let's do it" Hank smirked eagerly.

"Wait..what? No no no, I need time to prepare! I can't just rush off in this dress" protested Shimmers as she tried to make them understand.

"One, two…three" snapped Daring, diving through the large bush with Hank right behind her.

"Ooooh, darn it" Shimmers panicked as she ducked her head down low to avoid having it beating struck with darts. Diving through the bushes, she got up dusting off her skirt in annoyance. "Oh now look what your plan did! I really liked this skirt Daring…Daring" she asked, looking up to see them running. Panicking again, she quickly rushed to catch up as the Waziri emerged from the bush, screaming in their native language.

"Whoa! Keep running, head down" Daring shouted over the commotion! Moving her head to the right, she gasped as a spear impaled itself into a tree.

Grabbing the spear, Hank leaped over a log as he tripped. "Oww! What the…oh shoot" Hank grumbled in annoyance to see his tail had helped trip him. Moving his tail, he groaned "This is so annoying having a tail. Though it must be more annoying for Daring and Shim..Dash and Rarity, Dash and Rarity" he repeated not wanting to get confused.

"EEK! They won't stop throwing there spears" Shimmers shouted, rushing past Hank in fear as she didn't look back. In fact, she wasn't even sure where she was going as she was now pushing branches, out of her way as she ran into the open; and crashed into Daring.

"Owwww, Shimmers" complained Daring as she got up.

"Oh what? Why did you have to stop? Now my nice skirt is completely covered in mu.." she started to complain, but was cut off by Hank who leaped into the clearing next to them.

"Let's talking, more running" he snapped as he looked at the river. Looking up into the sky, he considered flying; but Shimmers couldn't fly. Picking up a pebble, he tossed it up into the air above the high bushes. Immediately, the pebble was riddled with darts as he nodded "Okay, flying isn't an option". Looking at the river, he figured it was at least a mile wide. Looking to Daring, he remarked "Ideas"?

"I'm thinking, I'm thinking" Daring remarked agitated as she tried to brain storm an idea to get them out of this situation.

"Well, I got one. Either you get wet, or you get dead" Hank quipped, as he lunged head first into the water. Emerging moments later at the sound of his friends leaping in next to him, he shivered at the intense almost subzero, freezing temperature the water felt at. "Brrrrr" he shivered aloud as he watched his friend swim past him. Turning around, he lunged the spear he still had, and tossed it in the direction towards the tribe. Pumping his fist into the air as it startled the native zebras, he turned and started to swim.

"Darn it, it's far too cold. Theirs leeches in this water probably, its completely unsanitary, and the razor rocks are tearing at my skirt" complained Shimmers to herself. But she knew that she had to keep up with her friends lest she would end up dead. Either from freezing, being stabbed, or something else.

"Keep it up" Daring shouted back to the other two, as she continued to swim. This wasn't exactly how pictured her day going! Sucked into a Daring Do book, becoming Daring Do, and then going on an adventure! "What a blast" she giggled to herself, failing to notice movement underneath them.

"Yeah, so glad! This is how I imagined that I would..be..going.." Hank slowly went off as he felt something brush past his leg. Sticking his head underwater, he had to slap himself hard to see if what he was seeing was real. Crocodiles..mutant crocodiles with human legs, and muscular arms…a school of them! Swimming all around them, underneath them. "MOVE, MOVE NOW" he shouted; his voice getting higher from the fear.

"Oh why in the world do we need to..EEK" shouted Shimmers as a pair of yellow, reptilian eyes emerged from behind her, swaying towards her faster, faster, and faster. Turning away, she paddled faster than she knew she could!

"Oh I'm not scared at all" Daring declared as one of the mutants lunged itself out of the water, and tried to bite at her head. Ducking to avoid it, she hoofed it in the chin as hard as she could; sending it flying as it landed on two of its buddies.

"Hey, easy there! Don't beat them all! I want to kick some ass" Hank shouted up to Daring as two mutants jumped up from both of his sides. Grinning evilly, he reached up as he pulled back and smashed their heads together. Turning around, he then back fisted another across the cheek; before whirling around and spewing fire into another's face.

As Shimmers made it first to the other side, she turned back to see Daring and Hank beating the hell outta whatever croco freak that tried to attack at them! "That's it! Get them! Teach those jerks a le…well, I suppose I could help" Shimmers realized as she power up her magic, and fired a heated beam at one of the crocs heads; causing the mutant to yelp in pain from the surprise attack as he jumped forward!

Hank grinned as suddenly he was attacked from behind and tackled! Disappearing for a few moments underwater, he emerged moments later as he had the mutant in a headlock; punching it over, and over again in its face. Shoving it back underwater, Hank remarked "I've had enough of this game". About to reach the shore, he was yanked away. Looking back, he scowled at the sight of the creeps yanking at his legs; trying to pull him back.

"Oh piss off" Hank snapped angrily, as he turned and discharged another stream of fire at the monsters, forcing them to let go of him. Pulling himself out of the water, he turned around and offered a clawed hand to help Daring out.

Daring meanwhile, was still kicking ass! Deciding to forget any rules since she was outnumbered, she hovered above the gang of mutants, kicking at any that decided to jump at her, shoving any aside that tried anything funny; and all around humiliating them in ways like leaning back and watching as they collided against each other. Holding her gut in jocularity, she grinned "Oh man, you guys are a riot" she smirked at the crocs.

None of them found this amusing however as they furious locked stares at the flying miscreant. Eyeing one another slowly, they all nodded as if having agreed to something universally, before slowly sinking underwater and out of sight once more.

"Huh? Where'd they go" Daring asked the others confused. Within earshot, she caught Hank shouting at her to watch out and move! Looking up, Daring gulped in fear at the sight of the crocs lunging from out of the water as a group, all about to collide at her! Grinning, she flew up and watched as they all crashed against each other! "Take it away Hank, and Shimmers" she laughed.

"With pleasure" they shouted in unison, Hank releasing his fire attack; whilst Shimmers fired a beam from her horn! Striking the reptilian freaks; they all collapsed into the water! Smoke, and the sound of something burning emanated from the burning bodies. "Huh, I think we might have overkilled abit" Hank noted ideally. "Oh I dunno, maybe we didn't do it enough…though I'm just glad they won't bother us anymore" huffed Shimmers.

Soaring down next to them, Daring shrugged "Hey, least we finally got them off of our backs, am I right? Huh, Huh". Dusting her hat off, she then quipped "Whelp, we're almost to the temple. It's right through those trees" she beckoned, galloping towards them.

"I gotta say Shim..Rarity" Hank sighed, attempting to keep the notion that he was Jack, and she was Rarity in his head. "Dash seems to really be enjoying herself here? Is this something she's always dreamed of, or is this just an opportunity to her"?

"Well, ever since she started reading Daring Do; she just really enjoys the character. After all, they are so much alike! Bold, daring, courageous, and eager for a fight. So, it's her living out something she might have longed for back in the real world" Shimmers explained.

Putting a clawed hand to his chin, Hank scratched it in wonder as he compared "Back on Earth, we have someone whose very much like Daring Do. An adventure/treasure hunter/archeologist who goes around foiling the evil plans of an evil genius who wants control or power. Heck, they even have similar clothes. Wonder if that's a coincidence"?

"Oh? What was this man's name" Shimmers inquired.

A slow grin etched its way onto Hanks face, as he looked up with his eyes closed. "His name is Indiana Jones, and he's probably one of the greatest fictional adventure heroes of all time! He goes all over the world, learning more and more about history whilst using that knowledge to uncover treasure! At the same time, he stop's Nazi's from gaining power"!

"Your right" Shimmers replied, a slow smile appearing on her face as she compared the two heroes together. Daring Do and Indiana Jones did sound really similar. "Hmm, I wonder if one was inspired off of the other" she asked.

Before Hank could respond however, Daring called over to the two "Hey guys, check this out"! Pointing up, the trio gawked at the sight of the marvelous temple! Statues of what Hank assumed to be Smooze, was displayed on both the top of the temple, and on the sides of it. The creature looked like a living pile of sludge, with huge deformed eyes and a gapping maw. Making a face at the sight of the hideous creature, Hank grumbled "Annnnd, he never won any beauty contest…well, since we're here now, you said something about getting the Shankamare stones? Question is though I don't know what those are exactly, nor where to get my claws on them so where should…guys"?

Hank realized he was suddenly alone as he spotted his friends entering the dark temple. Glowering at being ignored like that, Hank stomped after the two; grumbling to himself. "Sure sure, don't heed what I gotta say. It's not like I saved your asses more than once" he muttered to himself.

"WAIT" Daring shouted as she shouted for the two of them to stop moving. Looking down at the ground suspiciously, she groaned at the realization that her tile had given way under her hoof. "If I move, something is gonna be trigger" she groaned softly to the others.

"Wait! I..I know what to do" Shimmers smiled, closing her eyes. Raising a large rock about the size of Daring's hoof, the rock was placed over the tile where Daring stood. "Alright, now sloooowly remove your hoof, aannnnnd…done" she beamed as she watched her plan work.

"Whew, that was close, good thinking there Shimmers" grinned Daring as she gave Shimmers a playful pat on the back. Unfortunately, this cause Shimmers to fall forward before stumbling to regain her balance. This caused her to bump into Daring, causing Daring to slide her hoof next to the rock, removing it from the tile as it activated the trap!

"Heeey, you hear some..WHOA" Hank shouted as something zipped by at high speed. Freezing in place, his eyes slowly averted to the other wall to see a tiny, but powerful looking dart sticking out of its side. Looking back to see it had come from a statue with an open mouth, Hank spoke "Run..really fast…GO"! At the go, the gang started to rush down the hallway; ducking and moving to avoid being fired upon as darts shot out rapidly from either side of the walls!

"The door way" Daring screamed in fear, seeing that a wall was coming down! It was going to seal them off! Kicking more power into her hooves, she lunged underneath the door as she shouted "C'mon! C'mon you guys, before you get blocked off"!

Hank decided to test his wings out in those moments, flapping them as he soared ahead of Shimmers and placed himself between the closing ceiling and the floor. Grunting as the weight started to push against his back, he shouted "Shimmers, hurry up before it closes"! Watching as she moved, Hank let out a cry of pain at the crushing weight above him . "Shoot, this is really hurting" he thought to himself angrily as he tried his damnest to hold it.

"Wait! Wait! Don't close it on meeeeeeee" Shimmers voice sang off as she dove through the almost tiny crack, her stray hind hoof tripping Hank and forcing him out of the closing door. The trio became silent as the door closed, trapping them all inside.

"Huh, well glad to see we're all alright" Hank grumbled, as he massaged his aching back with a free claw. Staring over at Daring, Hank smiled wearily "I'm guessing that was the last of the traps at least for a while"? Seeing her staring off into the distance worried Hank, as he pressured "Right….riggghhht"?

"Ummm…I wouldn't get your hopes up if I were you" she spoke nervously, pointing with a hoof. Everyone followed her gaze to see an open doorway at the end that showed what looked like a large room, and in it; most likely the stones they wanted. However in the hallway they resided in, there were several floating platforms that hung over what looked like a pool of lava. A bubble of lava would occasionally build up before exploding into nothing; obviously signifying how dangerous it was.

"Huh, no big deal" chortled a no worried Daring as she leaped to a platform. "I could fly towards the opening yeah, but where would be the fun in that eh" she beamed at the others! Turning around, she jumped again towards the next platform; calling back for the others to follow her.

Eyeing Shimmers, Hank sighed as he ran a claw through his hair. "Well, you're up first this time since I don't want to have to save you again so soon" jested Hank, knowing that would get under Shimmers skin pretty good. He was right as he watched Shimmers face scrunch up in annoyance, huffing as she turned and leaped towards the first platform.

"Well, I guess I showed that I don't need some pony to come in, and swoop this damsel in distress off her hooves; just so he can save the day" smirked Shimmers; enjoying the sight of an annoyed Hank.

"Yeah, blah blah blah. As if that's gonna get under my ski…CRAP" Hank shouted as the platform gave way to his weight, forcing him to flap his wings rapidly to keep himself in the air. Sadly because of how little practice he had gotten in using his wings; it only served to make him even more tired. "Crud, crud, crud" he told himself as he managed to throw himself onto the next platform. Climbing onto it slowly, he could already feel it giving way under him!

"Darn it" he shouted crossly as he once more had to move it! Leaping from the dissolving platform to the next, Hank huffed as all the extra muscle weight he had was really slowing him down! Panting lightly, Hank ran a claw through his hair to get rid of any sweat. Seeing his friends at the end, Hank thought "I'm not gonna die, I'm not gonna die, I'm not gonnaAAAAAAAA"! Throwing himself off the last platform, he landed in a roll before stopping in a heap.

Pausing for a moment, he glanced up ideally at the others as he commented "I'd ask why, but you know what! I don't even care anymore". Sitting up hastily, he said "Alright, we're in; now where are these stones"!

"Right up there" indicated Daring! Up a long flight of stairs, resting on a pedestal were three bland looking stones with deep line craved into each of them that ran all the way around them. On each of the stone was a symbol of an element of the world. A fire symbol, a water symbol, and a wind symbol. "Oooooh yeah, these are defiantly what we were looking for" nodded a satisfied Daring.

Trotting up the steps towards her prize, she wondered to herself "Huh, I wonder what will happen after I take these? Will we all simply leave the book, or will we have to do something else in order to escape? A small part of her was sad that her adventure had to end so soon since she really had enjoyed being Daring Do! "Heh, I gotta ask Rarity to do that trick of hers again on another Daring book next time" thought Daring as she reached down to take the stones!

Her hoof passed right through them as she watched the stones fizzle out, and fade away. "What" Daring asked, clearly confused.

"Daring Dooo" boomed a voice as the hero's whirled around to see the owner of the voice. It was a strange creature that walked on all fours, with dog-like hind limbs and ape-like forelimbs, and a long monkey-like tail with a hand on its end. He had a dog-like head, except his eyes are positioned over his nose at the end of his snout. Sneering in the direction of the heroes, the creature removed his hand from his back; showing the three stones.

"Looking for these" chortled Ahuitzotl in a Spanish accent.

_**Well there's part one of Daring Do. I hope you all enjoyed it. See you next week **_


	26. Chapter 26

_**Disclaimer: After this chapter, we will be entering into Canterlot where the beginning of the final arc/area of the story will take place. Soo, next chapter is non-filler ^_^**_

_**Chapter 26: Daring Do, and Temple of Smooze part 2**_

Sinister cackling echoed throughout the chambers to signify the possible danger that the group where in. Daring Doo glared at the chortling Ahuitzotl with contempt, knowing that whatever he had in mind for them; didn't involve playing fair. Then again, did the bad guys never played fair so that sorta defeated the whole purpose. Scanning the room quickly for any means that he would try to escape or for any way they had to make a quick exit; the only things she could see we're the hallway they came through; and the hole above that had sun light filtering in.

Ahuitzotl sneered at the group, observing each one with a calculating gaze. "Well, well, well. Daring Do, Heated Hank and Shimmering Sapphire. I didn't expect to see you all alive after our last encounter! He was referring to the last adventure that Daring had with the three of them which took place in the book: Daring Do, and the Raiders of the lost troth.

"What can I say Ahuitzotl, your little trap just wasn't clever enough. Next time, make sure that there's no way out of a sinking ship" Daring quipped cleverly, recalling how Ahuitzotl had tried to get rid of them by sinking his ship. It hadn't worked out so well.

"Ahh, and the lovely Shimmering Sapphire. How are you doing my dear" Ahuitzotl smirked, raising a brow as he licked his lips hungrily for a tumble.

"Disgusted that you even know my name you foul creature" hissed Shimmers with disgust, not wanting to even look at the being. Getting next to Hank, she wrapped her arm around his as she commented "I'm not interested in you, and I never will be. I already have some pony who cares for me".

"Ahh yes, Heated Hank" snarled Ahuitzotl, locking glares with the dragon. Whilst Hank did participate in many adventures with Daring, and Daring seemed to be Ahuitzotl's number one enemy; Hank on the other hand was his main rival. The two of them would engage in confrontations whenever they were in the same room. Ahuitzotl saw Hank as an obstacle to get to Shimmers, whilst Hank saw him as a threat to the one he cared about.

"Still trying the whole taking over the world thing? How's that working out for ya?" Hank sneered in response, trying to suppress a smirk at the hated look on the freaks face. It faded however as Ahuitzotl started to laugh once more!

"Ha ha ha! Oh, I think it's going much better now that I have these" he grinned, as he took out from behind his back; the Shankamare stones. All three of them glowed in union at being together from the diamonds that were reacting to one another. "With the power within these stones, I can control fire, water, and earth! Three of the elements of nature! With these powers at my command, taking over the world will be a cinch" declared Ahuitzotl.

"I don't think so Ahuitzotl! Not on my watch" Daring declared as she hovered into the air, about to charge him. This was stopped however as suddenly a wall of fire erupted in front of her; blocking her view! Backing off from the intense heat, she gulped as she tried to fly around; but another wall of fire appeared! And another! Another! ANOTHER!

"Whoooooa! Not good" Daring shouted, intimidated by the fire as they were now completely surrounded! Suddenly remembering the hole above them, she grinned as she went to fly up towards the hole; but was stopped as suddenly the flames from the fire wall speared, and covered the top. They were now trapped in a box of fire!

"Hahahahahha! Let's see you all get out of that! It was nice knowing you Daring Do! Perhaps we shall meet again in another life" called an ecstatic Ahuitzotl at the concept of having beaten his arch nemesis! Leaving, he cackled the whole way; his cackles echoing throughout the chamber.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no" Shimmers panicked as she hugged herself close to Hank, examining for another escape route! Seeing none in sight, she looked up at Hank with a mixture of fear, and love. If these were too be her final moments, at least she was spending it with the one she cared for. "It isn't fair. It's too soon for all of us" she pleaded aloud to no ponyin particular.

"It's not over yet" proclaimed Hank as he suddenly reached out with his mighty arms and hugged Daring and Shimmers to his chest, his muscular arms holding the struggling ponies. Turning his back to the wall of fire; he threw himself into the flames! Passing through them like it was nothing, he looked down at Daring and Shimmers with a weak chuckle. "Heh, for someone who's supposed to be an evil genius, Ahuitzotl sure is stupid huh"?

"I'd say so! We need to get back the stones" Daring beamed whilst she soared into the air towards the hole in the ceiling. "Let's head out this way, that way we can take him by…GAAH" she cried as suddenly the hole was sealed up! "What the hay" she hollered as the room started to shake and rumble. The easy way out had just been covered and now they were trapped in a shaking temple!

"Time to go" bellowed Hank as he beckoned for the others to follow him! Turning towards the hallway, Hank scampered down the hall; his friends close behind him. As he passed through the trapped hall from before, he once more had to duck his head down to avoid being shot at by lethal darts! "Owwww" he howled as he felt a stray one penetrate his left wing.

Daring maneuvered past the darts with no problem, as she watched Shimmers rush past her. Bringing up the rear, she noticed that Hank was starting to slow down in sprinting. Bearing in mind that he was going to fall behind unless she did something, Daring pushed her head against his back; flapping her wings at high velocity to avoid being shot at!

"OOoof, thanks" Hank nodded gratefully to the adventurer.

"The door way" Shimmers pointed as a wall was starting to descend down! It was going to seal them in! Closeting her eyes, Shimmers sprinted harder then she had ever before, hurling herself into the air. Landing in a heap on the other side, she called back towards the others to run! "Cmon, cmon! Its closing" she pleaded with her friends to get the led out; and pick up the pace!

Spotting the closing door, Hank narrowed his eyes as he pumped up the adrenaline, and ignored the obvious pain in his wing. "Grrrrrrrrrrrr" growled Hank as he looked into Shimmers pleading eyes. Those big beautiful eyes that belonged to a unicorn that would be all alone, if he died here. "No way in hell is that gonna happen" bellowed the dragon as ran so fast that he outran Daring pushing him as he slid under the door way!

"Finally, here we go" Daring grinned as she gasped as a large rock fell down and stopped her in her tracks! Rushing around it, she then front flipped, and summersaulted towards the others before skidding under the doorway. Reaching up to adjust her hat, she felt it was gone! Looking back, she gasped to see it under the doorway. Reaching under, she plucked it out just before the wall closed.

"Whew, that was close. Almost lost my favorite hat" smirked Dash as she dusted off the hat playfully. Readjusting it, she smiled to the others "Alrighty then, Ahuitzotl probably thinks that were all dead after that little botched plan of his to seal us up like that failed. So what I say we do is take him by surprise! From what I remember of the book, he has a convoy of carriages that has the riches of this place, all loaded up and being shipped away"!

"So what then? We sneak aboard, and take him out" Hank asked bluntly, wanting to take a crack at the creep that dared tried to kill him in such a lame fashion. Did he actually think that fire was gonna work on a freaking dragon? Either he wasn't thinking, or the "diabolic villain" was abit of dumbass.

"Nah, not take him out. He's not supposed to die..at least not yet. I don't know really, I haven't finished the series yet" Daring shyly admitted, as she looked down with her leg tapping against the floor. Looking back up, she remarked "Sides, if I were to take out my rival today; well then that would make things mighty boring don't ya think"?

"Ahh, err…I guess" Hank admitted as he looked away. Turning to comment on that, he paused to see the two of them were already rushing towards the exit. "Darn it, wait up" Hank shouted as he sprinted to catch up with them. Holding a claw to block out the sunlight that filtered in blocking his eyes; Hank spotted Daring and Shimmers having ducked behind some bushes. Diving next to them, Hank peered through as he saw what they saw.

Powerful looking cat like creatures, many of them anthro looking were loading up crates onto the carriages and preparing to move out. Most of the treasure was too heavy however, slowing most of them down! Flinching as two of them dropped what looked like a heavy statue of the creature called Smooze; Shimmers sighed "Such a waste of valuable gold".

"It's not the gold I'm worried about, it's the stones in particular" Hank whispered to Shimmers as he looked at Ahuitzotl with heavy annoyance. The creep was sitting on a throne that was being carried by four anthros. He was stroking a white cat in his lap with one paw. The scene was so ridiculous that Hank had to roll his eyes in disbelief. "Does he think he's a James Bond villain" Hank hissed as he looked to the others. "Alright, what's the plan"?

Daring sighed, as she whispered "Okay, here's what we're gonna do! I'm gonna see if I can sneak up behind Ahuitzotl once his throne is set down. The stones are sitting right there next to him so if I'm careful, I can just reach over and snatch them. I want you two to distract the guards. Stay out of sight, but do things like..knock over the crates, annoy the guards".

"Now that isn't fair" Shimmers complained, stamping her hoof in annoyance as she glared at Daring. "How come you're the one who gets to have all the fun in going after the bad guy" Shimmers demanded. Her asking to be apart of the fun seemed really out of character, but it seems that she had other ideas since she was eyeing the necklace around Ahuitzotl's throat; a hungry look in her eyes.

"Isn't it obvious? It's cause she's the main hero of this story" Hank grunted abit bitterly, mostly out of being forced to be second banana to Daring. "When we get back home however, I think you'll be abit put off with me being leader".

"Oh is that so? Like you're the one who runs the sho..you know what…I'm gonna let the moment of being leading this sink in. Best let you do it too" grinned Daring, as she stated to execute the plan; sneaking around the crates.

"Darn it" Hank grumbled as he went off with Shimmers to get the plan moving.

Daring narrowed her eyes angrily at Ahuitzotl, slipping from one spot to the other.

"Ha ha ha! What a great day this has been" chortled Ahuitzotl as he continued to stroke his cat. Looking at his open palm, he grinned victoriously "Not only do I take out Daring Do, but her fellow adventurers Heated Hank, and Shimmering Sapphire! With all three of them out of the way, conquering the world will be a cinch! Could this day get any better for me? Well, perhaps it could…" he went off softly as he reached down and hefted a large battle axe with a free hand.

"IF I COULD HAVE HAD DARING DO's HEAD" he bellowed suddenly as he tossed the spinning axe into a picture of Daring that was attached to a dart board.

Flinching at the sight of seeing her picture hacked, Daring continued to make her way closer and closer towards Ahuitzotl; but finding it difficult to do so as the guards were getting more and more problematic; with what being right next to him. Watching them pace back and forth guarding his position; she shot a glance back over towards Shimmers and Hank. "What's taking you two" she thought with frustration as she shook her head slowly in exasperation.

Hank smirked, as he looked to Shimmers with a cocky glint in his eye. "Hey, bet I can piss em off more than you can" he betted as he inhaled, and let out a tiny fire ball towards a crate that was hanging on the edge of a cart; right above an anthro cats head. Pumping his fist viciously into the air at seeing it fall off; and collide on top of the cat, he chuckled "Beat that".

"Oh that's child plays" Shimmers shot back, rolling her eyes as she watched as some of his buddies rushed over to investigate. Helping their friend up whilst they tried to understand what had just happened; Shimmers focused her magic to lift up another crate as the screws holding it slowly opened. As the last screw undid itself, the lid popped off and out fell a ton's worth of gold onto the cats.

"OOooo, at little overkill don't ya think" Hank asked as he winched in pain that they musta felt from that load.

"Well, I think that they deserved it" she huffed at the sight of the hurt creatures.

Daring grinned as she watched the guards that were rushing to help the others out. Pressing her back against Ahuitzotl chair, she slowly peeked out to see him ranting; his head completely turned away. A devious smile stretched onto her face as with a free hoof; she reached for the stones. Sweating nervously, she felt her hoof slowly grasp the bag as she pulled it back.

"Alright, gotacha" she grinned as she started to trot away to get out of sight. Yet she made the mistake of not looking where she was going as her left hind hoof, tugged her back as it landed in a pot hole. Slamming against the ground; she watched in horror as the bag of stones when flying out of her grasp and right into the waiting lap of Ahuitzotl!

"What the devil? Where did it..YOU" declared Ahuitzotl in a mixture of anger and shock. "How did you get out of the temple? There's no way that you could have escaped" he demanded! Spitting at the ground, he snorted "Bah! It matters not! Men, we're leaving" as he leaped onto one of the carriages. Grinning eagerly as he pulled what looked like a lever, the gang was shocked to see that on Ahuitzotl's cart, hidden underneath a tarp was..some sort of engine as the carriage started to move on its own!

"What the? Where did he get something like that" Hank shouted in disbelief! He was certain that in this world that things like motorized vehicles didn't exist..then again, it didn't! At least in the real world of equestria; so the author had decided to just go and make something motorized in order to give it a small, futuristic feel of some kind?

"So long Daring Dooooooo" cackled Ahuitzotl as his carriage started to vanish from sight! His guards rushed past the gang to catch up, some of them hopping into other motorized carriage. Others resorting to their own natural speed to catch up with the boss!

"Blast it! They're going to get away" shouted Shimmers watching as they got further and further away!

"Oh no they won't! Check it" Hank grinned, as he pointed at a leftover carriage. Hopping into it, he pushed all of the gold out of the back in order to help speed up the ride. "Cmon, let's get em" he beckoned to the others as they climbed on board. Pulling back the lever, Hank was thrown out of his seat onto his back in surprise at how fast the ride was! "Oof" he grunted as he landed on his back, sitting up to see Daring trying to steer.

"Oh man, how do you steer this thing" Daring shouted to no pony in particular as she gripped at what looked like some sort of wheel that was extremely sensitive to movement whenever she turned it. Turning it to the right, it went right as she panicked "Wait..I don't remember this from the book. What's going on? How is this.."?

"Hmm, just a theory but maybe its changing abit since there's someone here who's not even from this world, or universe..don't matter. I know this" Hank thought as he climbed back up into the seat. "Move over, I got this. Its primitive, but it's essential a little something from my world" he smirked as he started to steer the carriage towards where the bad guys were going!

As they got over the next hill, a wide open plain came into view as did the convoy of carriages; and Ahuitzotl was up at the front.

"He won't get away this time" grinned Hank as he stood up and was about to inhale, and fire! But this was stopped however when the ride got extremely bumpy! "Oh crud, gotta steer this" he grumbled as he remembered that he wasn't the hero of this story. A protagonist, but not THE protagonist. Looking at Daring, he beckoned "You go and get him! I'll steer and try to get us closer".

"Alright! Try not to mess up" poked Daring as she playfully patted Hank on his head . Turning towards the convoy, she flapped her wings rapidly into the air, before zooming off towards the first carriage. Landing on the back of it, she put up her hooves, whistling to the anthro cats. "Heya boys, mind if I hitch a ride" she smirked eagerly. Ducking to avoid a slash, she socked her attacker hard in the jaw, before jumping up and back kicking his friend off the wagon.

"No fair that she gets all of the fun" complained Hank bitterly, wishing there was something he could do. Suddenly a thought came to mind. There was something he could do! Inhaling some of his power, he aimed at the stray carriage that Daring was on. Since they couldn't kill Ahuitzotl, then the least he could do was make sure he had no gold to take back with him! As soon as Daring moved, Hank spat out a pyro ball; incinerating the gold.

"Ha ha! How's that Ahuitzotl" Hank shouted up towards the rest of the convoy. The sound of wheels approaching at high speed got his attention however as it seemed that little attack drew some unwanted attention towards him and Shimmers. Turning around, he gulped at the sight of seeing two more auto carriages making their way towards both sides of the two hero's carriage.

"Aw crud, we got company" Hank growled as he got up. Looking around for something that be used to keep them going straight; Hank reached down as he found two large rocks in the back of the carriage. Grasping them, he wedges them between the steering wheel to keep it on straight course. Turning around to face the incoming attackers, he smirked to Shimmers "Hope you're ready to fight princess".

"Oh I'm ready to fight. I just hope that you're ready to watch how some pony fights with grace rather than brute strength" quipped Shimmers as her horn charged up slowly to signify the building power that she had!

The carriages pulled up to each side of them, as the anthros leaped onto the back of their carriage. Immediately, one of them took a swing at Hank's face. Ducking under the punch, Hank uppercutted the cat in the jaw before reaching out and grabbing him by his throat! Bringing his fist down in an overhead punch, he pumped his other fist into the air in victory! But this was changed however when two more jumped him; getting him in a headlock.

"ACK! Get em off" Hank grunted, flaying in a frenzy bout to try and force them off of him. Backing up, he ended up leaning over the edge of the fast moving cart; the anthros still holding on as they were attempting to take him out too!

Shimmers seeing him in trouble, glared as she started to fire powerful bolts of her magic to force them off of her lover! Grinning as they connected with the anthros heads; she pulled Hank back up to keep him from falling out. "Well, that was..watch out" she shouted as she ducked down; watching as a stray fist caught Hank in the cheek as it sent him onto his back. "Sorry" Shimmers smiled weakly at him taking the punch like that.

Meanwhile Daring was having her own problems at the moment as she ducked down to avoid a grab from an antrho, as she then stood up and used his own momentum against himself; tossing the anthro out of the carriage. Turning around to face another, she reached up and grabbed him by the shoulders and rammed her knee into his gut hard. Laughing ideally at how much fun she was having in kicking some ass; she jumped up to the driver and knocked him out of the carriage.

"You're not gonna get away from me Ahuitzotl" she called up to him! Watching him turn around to shake his fist in anger at Daring, she smirked cheerfully as she knew that she was really getting under his skin! It seems that her cocky thoughts were interrupted however as suddenly she was tackled from the side by another anthro; on top of her as he attempted to reach down and strangle the life out of her with his paws.

"Gaaaacck, sorry pal. I'm not that kinda girl" she joked in the position that they were in as she kicked him off of her, and off of the carriage.

Getting up, she decided to stop messing around as she leaped from her carriage onto another with a whole gang of anthros. Noticing some stray shovels, she picked one up and swung! Striking some of the anthros, she laughed as she raised her shovel to knock them out when one of the anthros then brought his claws down; cutting the shovel in two. Surprised by the power, Daring shrugged "Meh, good…but not good enough" as she jumped up and round house kick him in the cheek; knocking him aside.

"Oof, oof, oof" Hank shouted in pain as he gut punched once, twice, three times by the attacker in front of him. Being held in another lock, Hank grunted as he watched Shimmers keep the cretins away from her with magic. "I need to get out of this" he thought as he tried to think of a way to get free. Smiling as he wondered why he never thought of it before; he inhaled before exhaling a spew of fire; setting the anthro in front of him ablaze. Grinning, he got an arm free as he elbowed the one holding him.

Turning around, Hank hooked him hard in the cheek before kicking him away. Wanting to give him a taste of his own medicine; Hank grabbed the anthro roughly by the throat as he started to punch him in the nose over and over again.

"Come now, this is no way to treat a lady" Shimmers smirked at her two assailants. Watching them look at each other in confusion, she leered in response as she aimed and zapped the two anthros, placing them in princess outfits. "My my, you both do look lovely…too bad" laughed Shimmers in response to the shocked anthros. Watching as they started to rip the dresses off, she blasted both of them hard in the chest; knocking them off of the carriage.

"Happy trails" Hank called up to the anthro; as he tossed him off to join his buddies. Looking ahead, he could see that they were starting to catch up with Daring as he pointed to his back. "Grab on" he insisted to Shimmers. With the extra weight, Hank reared back and flapped his wings rapidly to get to the next carriage.

"Hold on Daring, we're coming to..OH SHOOT" Hank screamed in alarm at the sight of an anthro pulling off the tarp of what Hank had assumed to be treasure. It turned out to be cannon! BOOM! Hank maneuvered to the left to avoid getting blown out of the sky, as he continued to dodge left and right to avoid getting shot. With the extra weight from Shimmers, it was hard to fly properly and getting even harder to avoid the balls.

"Can you do something about the cannon" he shouted up to her!

"You bet" Shimmers smirked, as she fired a stream of magic into the cannon; blowing it and the carriage up! Seeing the shocked look on Hanks face, she shrugged "What, you said you wanted it to be taken care of"?

"Tch, overkill much" Hank grumbled to himself.

"I GOTACHA" Daring laughed as she tackled Ahuitzotl; ready to show him what happened when you messed with Daring Do, greatest adventurer of all time! Knocking him off his feet, Daring raised her hoof to bring it down on his chest when she was tripped and knocked onto her back!

"Darn you Daring Do! You just can't keep yourself from getting in the way of my plans" Ahuitzotl spat angrily as he wrapped his long tail around her chest. Lifting her up into the air, he mocked "I will squeeze the life out of you if I must Daring! Perhaps that will get my point across" he reasoned as he reached into the back of the carriage..and pulled out a wicked looking sword. "Or, maybe this will help you get the point" he sneered sadistically.

"Grrrr" Daring grunted, as she struggled in his grip; flapping her wings rapidly in an attempt to get free from Ahuitzotl's grip. It was a lot easier said than done however as despite how frail his tail looked, it was really powerful! Daring then let out a gasp of fear as Ahuitzotl gently placed the sword against her throat as she shook her head in denial. This couldn't happen! She was the hero, and the hero wasn't supposed to die!

"Goodbye Daring Do, and good riddance" laughed Ahuitzotl as he was about to draw blood from the explorer when suddenly..BANG! He was kicked hard in the back of his skull; causing him to smash his nose against the wooden carriage. "OWwwwwwww" howled Ahuitzotl in pain as he turned around to find the source of his attacker. He was greeted by two more punches, and a zap of magic before being knocked out onto the carriage; releasing Daring in the process.

"Whew, and what took you two so long" Daring sighed joking as she landed safely onto the carriage.

"Oh I'm sorry, here I thought you would be abit more grateful being as how we just saved your ass there" smirked Hank as he hugged Shimmers close to his side; to put an emphasis on the "we" part.

"Yeah, but it's not much of a big deal though to be. Especially since I go the stones" shot back Daring as she reached into the bag that Ahuitzotl kept close to him and took out the stones. Holding them close, she smirked as she looked up slowly; and gawked at the rapidly approaching cliff edge. "Umm..guys..look" she shouted in alarm!

"Pfft, no big deal" Hank responded as he held Shimmers close to himself and hopped out. Landing, he watched as Daring as about to get out when suddenly Ahuitzotl jumped up and grabbed her legs, keeping her on board with him!

"If I go, you go with me" declared Ahuitzotl as he held onto her hoof angrily, furious with her for having ruining everything! Cackling evilly as they were about to reach the cliff edge, he mocked "You might have won with the prize, but I have won in eliminating Daring Do"!

"Guys! HEEELLLllllllppppppppp….." Daring's voiced echoed off as the carriage went over the side of the cliff; her with it! Luck seemed to be on their side however as suddenly a bright light appeared from nowhere, engulfing the Hank and Shimmers.

"GAH" Jack shouted in alarm as he sat up; holding his head as a sudden rush of a headache came to his mind. "Gaaah…what the..what happened" he murmured". Turning to face the now rising Rainbow Dash and Rarity, he looked up as he muttered "Oh yeah". Seeing the intimidated look in Rainbow Dashes face, he crossed his arms as he smirked "Well, I think we might have learned a little something about certain wishes"?

Dash nodded slowly, laughing weakly in response "Yeah, I guess be grateful for what you have or something. I don't know" she admitted. Letting out a breathe of relief, Dash stared up at the sky commenting "Still, that was way too close. I don't know how we got out, but…oh wait! Yeah I do" she grinned! Reaching over for the book, she showed the ending. "The book is a two parter, so we had gotten to the cliff hanger of Daring going over the cliff".

"Ahhh…as fun as it was, I'd rather not experience part two; at least for a while" Rarity admitted to the others. She did have fun on the adventure; but really all she wanted to do was relax now. Resting her head against Jacks shoulder, she chuckled "How'd it feel being a dragon"?

"Really strange and yet..kinda cool at the same time. I felt strong from all the extra power" Jack beamed as he playfully flexed his muscles. Leaning towards Raritys ear, he whispered "Wanna see what these muscles can do against some pony so soft, and oh so sexy"? Receiving a nod, Jack nodded to Dash "Hey Dash, thanks for the adventure but uhh..Rarity and I got to go.."talk" he shrugged. Getting up, he led Rarity away waving goodbye for now.

"Yeah, see you two later" Dash waved, rolling her eyes in response to the "talk" thing. Resting her back against a tree, she reached into her satchel removing: Daring Do, and the Temple of Smooze part 2.

_**Alright! Next week is the next story driven chap. Entering the final arc/part. Hope you've all enjoyed this thus far. See you then! **_


	27. Chapter 27

_**Disclaimer: Here we are in Canterlot, where the final arc of the story shall take place. Filler chapters might be thrown in, but mostly what will happen is story based chapters. So, without further ado; here ya go **_

_**Chapter 27: Introductions in Canterlot and One last thing.**_

"I'm sorry, I blinked; it's called the what now" Jack asked as he picked the wax outta his ear to try and focused more on what his friends we're telling him. He had been trying to focus for the last couple of hours; yet he was tired as heck! Tired from the constant adventures and death defying moments. Whilst he usually didn't tire from that, he just needed abit of time before the next adventure.

They were all on a train that was moving at high speed due to the fact that the conductor was late in picking up the gang.

Apparently he and the mane six were going to Canterlot to attend some big social event that was in a few days, so they were gonna stay at the castle. Closing his eyes to rest, he was awakened as Rarity bopped him on the head. "Ow, sorry I'm just not focused today" grumbled an irritated Jack.

"It's called the Grand Galloping Gala. It's only the biggest social event every year in Equestria. Why, the most prestigious ponies attend it to socialize, party, and learn more about what's happening in different corners of Equestria" Rarity explained, but was suddenly cut off as Pinkie Pie bumped into her and through her off balance.

"Yeah, Yeah, Yeah! It's gonna be sooooo fun! Eating, drinking, dancing, singing, it's gonna be so super fun! You're gonna have alotta fun since Canterlot doesn't really know a lot about you Jack" Pinkie energetically got out.

Raising a brow, Jack sat up from his bed as he looked down at Pinkie. "So what you saying is that I gotta spend time getting used to ponies looking at me like I'm some sorta freak again. But this time, I gotta put up with some upper class snots" Laughed Jack as he slumped back into the pillow. "That's just what I need" he grumbled.

"Aww c'mon Jack! It'll be fun! Sides, I think they'll be more impressed with the stuff you've been doing around Ponyville. Hearing about a weird creature that's been going around helping others" Rainbow Dash chimed in.

"Umm..I do hope though that this Gala goes a lot better then..last years" Fluttershy suddenly spoke up as she looked down at her hooves. Bringing up last year seemed to make everypony look up as they nodded in agreement on how chaotic it got.

"What happened last year" questioned an ignorant Jack.

Getting off of her bed, Applejack sighed "Well, we all went in expecting to do our own thing. We had our own plans in mind of how we were gunna spend our time at the Gala. Sadly, things didn't go according to plan for any of us. Soon, we all got aggravated and tried to force our plan to work. But that just seemed to make things worse for us, and those around us. In the end, the Gala became completely chaotic with everypony running for the hills".

"I can still remember just trying to try and talk with Princess Celestia. She was so busy greeting everypony that came to the Gala, that she and I didn't even have any time at all to talk" she spoke softly. Bringing up her mentor, she smiled "Oh that's right! Jack, you haven't met her yet have you"?

"Not in person at least" grumbled Jack to himself.

"Well, you're going to defiantly have to meet the princess! Both of them" Twilight smiled as she then went to listing off more names and reasons. "Both Princess Celestia and Luna are the most important ponies in Equestria! Then there's Princess Cadence and my brother, Shining Armor. Let's see, you'll also have to meet Fancy Pants, Hoity Toity, De..".

"Whoa, whoa, whoa easy there Twilight. Take a breath before you pass out" laughed aloud at the sight of the panting Twilight from listing over all the important ponies in Canterlot. "Somehow I doubt I'll even get a chance to meet all the ponies you're talking about. Besides let's cut to the chase of; why they would even want to meet me? I'm no one special..unless you count out someone who can kick ass and use fire powers" he whispered the last part to himself.

"Why? Well, being the only human in Equestria I think makes you an important being? The princesses will be most eager to get to know you! Not to mention all the important ponies will want to know more about you, where you're from, what you're like and all those details. Whilst news of you has spread to a degree; it will be better if you make a physical appearance for as many important ponies as possible" Twilight pointed out as she could see how uncomfortable Jack looked at mentioning having to meet so many important beings. "Nervous" she asked gently

"Abit..I just hope I don't make an idiot out of myself..more so than usual anyway" he shrugged at the laughing of his friends. The loud screeching of wheels sparking threw Jack off balance as he sat back up quickly, smiling weakly "Guess this is our stop huh"?

"Huh? We here already" piped up a tired Spike who looked left and right in a groggy manner. Spotting Twilight, he hopped onto her back as he usually did, whilst the group exited the train car.

"Sunlight is usually bright, but it seems even more so here" Jack muttered as he tried to block out the suns intensity. As it faded, he suddenly felt like he was in Disney's Magic Kingdom in Florida, there were so many ponies. Tall, prestigious looking structures, with an elegant feeling; radiated off of each sight. The ponies seemed to comprise mostly of unicorns, whilst Earth ponies and Pegasus did seem exist as well. Like his previous encounters, they all stared at him like he was an alien..which he technically was.

The Royal guard, comprised of all three types of ponies we're patrolling there spots of the city, as a few of them stopped to see the group and what was with the group. They all bore the same golden helmet that reminded Jack of something that gladiators would wear, as well a similar armor. In their eyes, Jack could see suspicion.

"And the typical greeting. Yes, I have no fur or tail. I can't fly, or use magi..well I can, but that's beside the point" grumbled Jack in aggravation. As he and the group started to walk down the main street, a prestigious looking carriage pulled up in front of them, stopping them in their tracks! A powerful looking unicorn hopped out from the back of the carriage.

His fur was pure white, whilst his mane and tail had different shades of blue, which matched his eyes. Like the guards here, he wore a helmet which signified authority yet his was a deep royal purple color that also matched his armor. His cutie mark was a blue shield with a pink-purple six pointed star in the middle, and it also had three light blue stars above the shield.

"Heya Twili" smiled the unicorn in a playful voice, as he pulled Twilight into a huff; messing up her mane cheerfully. Getting a laugh out of his little sis, Shining Armor beamed as he was glad that she and her friends were able to make it!

"Good to see you too B.B.B.F.F." Twilight grinned in delight from the sight of her older brother. Hugging him in response, she asked "How's marriage life been treating you"?

"It's going wonderful Twilight! Cadence has been like an angel! So kind, and yet so beautiful. I truly am a lucky stallion to have married somepony so…I'm sorry, whose this" Shinning stopped himself as he locked eyes with Jack. Watching as he crossed his arms and looked away; Shinning wondered if he had done something to offend this creature.

"Oh I'm sorry, this here is Jack Connor's. He's a really good friend of ours, and has been a really great help to Ponyville ever since he showed up. He's the human that I've sent you letters about" Twilight introduced. Noticing how Jack wasn't really even looking at Shining Armor, she chuckled weakly as she whispered "He has abit of a problem in greeting ponies of upper class". Going behind Jack, she nudged him forward to greet her brother.

Gasping, Jack shot Twilight an irrated glare as he rolled his eyes in annoyance. He really didn't want to do this. Yet, he didn't have a choice in the matter since he was probably going to be meeting ponies like this all day. It wasn't just the fact of him being upper class; but having authority wasn't so good neither since he himself wasn't on good terms with authority figures. Putting a hand forward, he droned "Hello. Nice to meet you".

"Heya. Good to meet you. I'm Shining Armor, Captain of the Royal Guard. So, you're the hero of Ponyville" complimented Shining Armor; as he could easily see through Jack's plan to appear unfriendly so that way he wouldn't want to take to him.

"Ah, um..I wouldn't go that far" Jack blushed at the compliment from the unicorn. "I was just..WHOA" he gasped as he was suddenly pulled into a headlock by the stallion who started to mess up his already messy hair.

"C'mon, no need to be modest. Anyone who's a friend of my sister, is a friend of mine" he grinned as he released Jack from the headlock.

"Yeah, thanks" Jack nodded rubbing his hair lightly. Okay, so maybe the Captain of the Royal guard wasn't a douchebag. Maybe he was alright. Certainty was different than most authority figures. Looking away, he wondered how exactly he was supposed to deal with this if all the upper class we're…nah that was just stupid.

"So anyway, I'm here to escort you all to the castle. The princesses are waiting" Shining Armor informed, as he opened the carriage door; and waited for all of them to get on board. Closing the door, he hopped up front next to the guard as he ordered "To the castle at once".

As all of his friend started to chatter, Jack laid his head back as he tuned them out; looking out over the sights that they passed by. He had to admit, the place seemed a lot like back on Earth. It seemed a lot like Boston, or San Francisco to him. His eyes enlarged as he blinked to see if he was seeing right as he caught sight of..Sid? "What was he doing here" Jack thought as they passed by a large tavern where Sid seemed to be lurking in the alley. Locking eyes with him, Sid smirked as he waved in his direction before vanishing.

"He wants something…he always does" Jack grumbled to himself as he knew that things weren't going to go so well for him later. Knowing his luck, Sid probably wanted to go and piss off some of the guards for fun. Whilst it did sound fun, Jack really wanted to avoid making the local law mad in the city where the princesses lived.

"Hey Jack, we're here" Rarity smiled as she pulled him into a hug to get his attention. Watching Jack stop with the faraway look, and hug her back in his own smile; Rarity beamed as she thought "We'll probably be the talk of the city. I wonder how he'd look in armor" she thought; picturing a handsome looking Jack in knightly armor; grinning as his teeth shinned.

Hopping out from the back, Jack let out a spit as he cracked his neck before rubbing it. Wondering if that would piss off some of the upper class, he could see a few of them passing by giving him gapping looks as if to say "Blah blah blah, this is most unorthodox". Looking up, Jack felt his own jaw drop at the sight of the castle! It..it was freaking huge! It musta been twenty…maybe thirty stories up! Then again, as the castle it probably had a lot of important guest like himself for instance.

"Heh, I'm important. That's a good one" he chuckled to himself as a slew of guards emerged the front door. Emerging from the castle was mare unicorn. Her mane was a dark violet, with a mixture of gold and dark pink, same with her tail. She had both a horn, and wings; which meant she was a..a..Alicorn? She had an indigo heart shaped cutie mark. Strangest thing to Jack was her grayish purple eyes as they looked him up and down.

"What" blurted out Jack, not liking being looked over like he was some sort of freak.

"My apologies. I didn't mean to stare. I was simply surprised since I've never met a human before" Cadence spoke gently. "I am Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, but Cadence would be just fine".

"Hello Princess Cadence" Twilight beamed at the sight of her former foal sitter. Giving her a hug, she asked "How's marriage life been"?

"It's been magnificent. Shining Armor has been the absolute best! Helping keep order in Canterlot hasn't been easy since there have been disputes over some minor problems with the residents. But then again, no pony said it was going to be easy! So apart from that, everything has been going well" Cadence responded. Watching as Jack turned away, she asked "Is it true that he's been helping out Ponyville a lot"? As Twilight responded, Cadence thought "Celesetia was right then, not all humans are the same".

"It's wonderful to see you again Princess" greeted Rarity before she got back next to Jack, placing his arm locked with her hoof.

Seeing how close Rarity was to him, and how he looked uncomfortable; she immediately put two and two together as she gave a bemused smile. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you Jack Conner's" she greeted as she shook his hand. Before he could ask how she knew his name, she responded "I've heard a lot about you".

"Ahh, I see. Well umm..It's good to meet you Princess" Jack said nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck shyly. He had to admit that was kinda pretty yeah. But he didn't have to worry. Cause he already had his princess right here. Eyeing Rarity, he gave her a smile back as he thought to himself "Shame that I can't be more open about how I feel" he thought in sadness.

Cadence watched as Jack went over to speak with Shinning as Rarity beckoned for Cadence to talk to her. "What is it Rarity" Cadence whispered.

"I know that Jack is trying, but I want to really speed up on helping him be more open with how he feels about me..we've been together for awhile now and he usually is very affection and romantic. But only when we're alone. Around other, he's really..well you saw how he is. So umm..do you think you could maybe..just err" Rarity tried to suggest, but was cut off.

"No, I couldn't do that Rarity. It would be artificial and not real to use my magic on him. Plus, don't you think he'd be upset that you bewitched him like that" Cadence asked in return, but ended up shaking her head as Rarity was dismissing the notion with a hoof. She was making a big mistake.

"He'll understand. And besides, I bet he'll thank me later for it! I'm not saying I want it done now, but just for when we go to the Grand Galloping Gala" Rarity pleaded to the princesses, wanting her to see that she was doing this for Jack's sake.

Cadence looked over to at Jack to see he was telling a joke to Shining Armor about going to counseling and spending five grand to have two women call him a loser and that's how rich he was. She smiled lightly as Shining laughed at the joke but then got a mischievous look in his eye as Jack put his finger down, and got him with the "hey, what's that" trick.

"They seem to be getting along" noted Cadence as she thought to herself. "I'm going to regret this" she thought as she nodded to Rarity. "Very well, I'll help that night…I still think this is a bad idea though".

"Trust me, Jack will forgive me" Rarity smiled dismissively, not worried at all about the possible consequences that could be fall her. Watching as Shining pulled Jack into another head lock and started to mess up his hair again, she smiled as Jack laughed trying to escape. That was just it. She wanted Jack to be more open with not only how he felt romantically towards her, but how he was around his friends. A part of her felt that maybe she was wrong maybe that maybe this was just how he was and it wouldn't be right to try and change that. "

"Okay, so he's alright. No big deal" Jack shrugged as he thought to himself "Maybe it's good to meet some more of these upper class ponies. I just hope some of them are guys though because I've been meeting making more gal friends then guy friends. Don't want to look like a wimp or nothing" he thought as he tried to think over how many friends he had made who were guys. "Big Macintosh, Spike, Shining Armor and…I think that's pretty much it…wow".

"Alright then if you'll all follow me, I'll lead you to the princesses and to your rooms" Cadence instructed before sheer turned to Shining Armor and gave him a kiss. "I'll see you later tonight" she whispered.

"See you later tonight Cadence" smirked Shining as he went to instruct the patrols for the guards.

Lead down the halls, Jack looked up at some of the paintings and noticed..a few of them had things that seemed related to what had been happening. One of them paintings depicted a large group of ponies, two of them seemed to be a..much younger versions of Celestia and Luna. Standing in front of the two we're three human figures.

Looking to his right, Jack then narrowed his eyes to see one that depicted that..Discord guy that he saw back in Ponyville. "You look even weirder when you're not completely stoned" Jack joked to himself, chuckling at the bad joke.

Reaching the Royal Chambers, he watched as suddenly the group around him backed off to the sides. "Err, what you guys are doing" he asked as he felt something. Jack realized he was being pushed! Looking back to see Fluttershy and Pinkie gently pushing him forward, he snapped "What are you doing"!

"The Princesses wish to speak with you" Fluttershy whispered softly.

"Best not keep them waiting" giggled Pinkie as they gently stepped back

"Where? I don't see..oh" Jack paused as he looked back to see the two alicorns standing before him! Surprised by how they towered over him, Jack suddenly became intimidated but did his best not to show it in public. At the sight of these two, he tried to tell himself "Their not my princesses, so I don't have to act like it" yet at the same time he felt compelled to be polite.

"Well, it certainly is a pleasure to meet you again Jack, and in a much more sensible environment. Though I must say that the stylized house you had was interesting" complimented Celestia as she bowed her head to him in greeting. "We met before, but I believe proper introductions are necessary. I am Princess Celestia, ruler of the day" smiled Celestia.

Her younger sister stepped forward as she stared intently at Jack. "I can see that things worked out well between you and your friends. Tis please me to see that things turned out alright in the end. I am Princess Luna, ruler of the night" introduced Luna.

"Ah..IM Conner's…What up" Jack shrugged indifferently. He could hear his friends in the background gasp at the impudence he was most likely showing to royalty. This caused him to roll his eyes and remark to his friends "Their not my rulers. What do I care about showing fealty and servitude towards em"?

"Jaaaaaack that really isn't befitting of.." Rarity started to hiss between her teeth.

"It's quiet alright. Jack is correct. We aren't his rulers since he is a visitor/guest in our kingdom. For this, he is a friend" Celestia kindly informed Rarity, not at all put off by Jack's rudeness. Watching as Jack was staring at her shocked how easily she was taking this, she winked "I'm sure as you've seen that we've met some human's in our younger days. None of them were quiet as interesting as yourself".

"Nor outspoken. Tis refreshing to see one so outspoken and not afraid to voice his opinion's, iregardless of thou's feelings" Luna agreed. Sweeping her hoof around the castle, she informed "Our home, is your home dear Jack so please make thy self-conferrable whilst residing here for the new few days".

Meanwhile, Jack was cursing like a storm inside his head. "Damn it, Damn it, DAMN IT! Why does the royalty here have to be everything that isn't what I expected! I expected the royalty to be snobbish, uptight, rude, and demanding! These two sisters are the opposite of everything I thought they would be and thus once more, I feel like a complete ass"".

"Would it be better if we did act snobbish, and uptight" chortled Celestia aloud. Smirking at his shocked expression, she nodded "I'm glad to see that we weren't what you expected". Approaching Jack, she admitted "Though I must apologize to your Jack".

"Ahh..do princesses even need to apologize" questioned a confused Jack.

Chuckling at his question, Luna smiled remorsefully "Thou jest, whilst we feel it's necessary to inform you of our previous thoughts. Originally when you arrived, we sensed your arrival but wanted to see if you were trustworthy before approaching like the last time we did. Due to the reputation that humans have, we had assumed at first that you were like your kind usually is".

"Fortunately despite being abrasive, you proved us wrong due to the amount of friends you have made in your arrival. For this, we are sorry that we had assumed you were like the worse of your kind" bowed Celestia in apology, Luna following suit. The idea of royalty bowing to someone like Jack, made him really uncomfortable.

"Ahh, it's cool…I wouldn't trust me neither" Jack responded weakly as he really wanted them to stop bowing as it was really making him uncomfortable.

Turning towards the others, Celestia informed "Please enjoy your stay here, and treat our home as yours. Guards"! Nodding as several guards lined up, she smiled "Our guest here is a representive of humans and therefore; an emissary. Please show him, and the one he cares the most for towards one of the most eloquent rooms".

Waving goodbye to the others as he traveled with Rarity, Jack wondered to himself what sort of enjoyable comforts awaited him and Rarity. It probably wasn't anything big. Just a small room that was comprised of…Oh. Whatever further negative thought had been running through his mind had been quickly erased the moment the door to their room had been opened. "No..way" Jack awed in amazement. The room was huge! It had a huge royal bed, a large closet, a fancy dinner table, and..a Jacuzzi?

"Oh my! This is absolutely incredible" Rarity mused in amazement as she galloped into the room, looking around in awe. Now this was truly what it meant to live like royalty! She only wondered though if Jack would enjoy living in this sort of room, or if he would become uncomfortable since the room was everything he wasn't…well, the entire castle was but that was beside the point. "Umm, Jack what do you think of the room" Rarity asked sweetly, yet a pleading tone of hoping for acceptance was in it as well.

"What do I think" Jack asked in return as he looked over it with a judgmental eye. "Bed look's too soft, the closet's too big and the Jacuzzi is completely unnecessary. But hey, if your happy then I guess I'm happy to" he shrugged ideally in response to Rarity. Being pulled into a hug, he rolled his eyes as he smiled "Alright, alright I can see where this is going and how your looking to try out the new bed. I am too…but not for sleeping". With a smirk, he led her towards the bed.

"Okay, that was pretty good. Best in awhile. Not that your last couple of performances haven't been good but it seems that being in a real uppity environment like this really increases how well you do" Jack called as he exited from the shower.

"Oh? And I suppose from your point of view, you were the absolute best just a few moments ago" Rarity smiled as she could see Jack drying himself off from the bathroom. "Because from what I was hearing a few moments ago; you were pleading for mercy and begging for me to give it to you. Now what do you think that says about you, hmm"?

Exiting completely dry now, Jack smirked as he kissed Rarity's cheek. "That I've been a very bad boy, and needed to be punished" he whispered.

Chuckling at his enthusiasm, Rarity chuckled lightly as she responded "Well, let's go look around abit. It's getting dark so dinner is probably going to be soon, we have abit of time for a little sightseeing". Opening up the wardrobe, she smiled "Ooo, what should I wear? And what should you wear? I mean, we need to make a good impression here ".

"I couldn't care less what the other ponies living here think really" Jack snorted in response as he shrugged "I never thought about what people who had more than me back home, why should I care now"? As he turned away from Rarity, Jack's eyes drifted towards the window. He had to say one thing about the ponies of Canterlot. They definitely had great views of the city. It was like being back in Manhattan.

Looking down, he gasped "Sid"? as he could see Sid staring at him from atop of the roof that was directly below the castle. Watching him wave at Jack, he thought "Oh no..". Turning to Rarity who seemed only content to go out and impress other ponies; he responded "Alright fine, I'll wear something nice. We need to go right now though".

"Now, but I thought you had wanted to" Rarity started to point out but was cut off by Jack who quickly went into the closet. Rummaging through, he picked out a crimson red vest over a clean white shirt. "Alright, this will do and umm..ugh..". Reaching back, he put his long messy hair into a small pony tail. Watching Rarity's face light up at how handsome he looked, he sighed as he told himself "Doin it for her, doin it for her, doin it for her".

"Well you do look marvelous Jack, but what do you think of me" she asked as she turned around in a full 360 to show off what she was wearing. A lovely violet dress, with what looked like a bow supporting the dress being tied into a heart shaped one. To Jack, it looked a little too cutesy for his taste but he wasn't about to hurt her feelings as he nodded lightly "You look beautiful as always..even more so".

"You think so? Oh you do know what to say" she murred in response as she took his hand. "Well, let's get going" she beamed.

"And here I thought you weren't going to show up? What do you think" Sid smirked as he showed what he was wearing. A three piece formal suit from the looks of it; extremely formal yet mismatched by the multitude of colors and styles.

"Cut the crap, what do you want man" Jack demanded as he wanted to relax on this little trip, and not have to worry about anything. He had managed to get away from Rarity for the moment so he could ask what it was that Sid wanted. "I like you man, but I really don't want to get involved in any more crazy stunts. At least for awhile".

"What makes you think that I want anything at all? I'm offended Jack" Sid pouted in a mock hurt tone. Watching him cross his arms, Sid snorted "Fine, I'll cut straight to the chase. You see, while I was traveling around Canterlot; I saw something in the museum that I just HAD to have. Mainly, because it looks cool and I'll cool wearing it". Snapping his fingers, a photo appeared in his hands as he handed it to Jack. "Ever hear of the "Chest plate of Anarchy"?

Watching Jack shake his head, he shrugged "It used to belong to the God of Chaos and Disorder; Discord. In his younger days, he used it as a means to protect himself from powerful spells. It doesn't work anymore, but it looks so cool that I want it! So, I want you to help me..relieve the museum of it".

"You mean you want me to help you steal this thing out of a want" Jack stated bluntly as he tossed the photo back into Sid's hands. "I just got here, so I really don't want to go and piss off the princesses alright? Sides even if it wasn't for them, I'm not gonna steal something just to show I can" snapped an aggravated Jack for even being brought here for this. Turning away from Sid, he snorted "See you later man..thanks for wasting my time".

"Are you sure that..you won't help me" Sid asked slowly, as he placed a hand on Jack's shoulder. Smirking devilishly at the confused look on Jack's face, he released his hand as he then put his arm around Jacks shoulder; and smirked "One last thing pal! Just one last theft for old time's sakes. All these high and mighty ponies, so complacent and thinking that there so important. Wouldn't you like to stick it to them"?

Turning to Sid, a slow smirk etched onto Jack's face as he nodded "How can I say no"…

_**Welp, hope you liked this chapter. See you all next week **_


	28. Chapter 28

_**Disclaimer: Here we are in Canterlot, where the final arc of the story shall take place. Filler chapters might be thrown in, but mostly what will happen is story based chapters. So, without further ado; here ya go **_

_**Chapter 28: Prequel to the war and B & E!**_

"Tch, I can't believe I'm doing this" Jack grumbled as he wondered how he had even agreed to this. It was in the early evening, as both he and Sid were standing hidden in an alleyway that led towards the Canterlot Museum. Here was the Chestplate of Anarchy that Sid for some reason really wanted, and was recruiting Jack to help him steal! He had to make up some lame excuse to Rarity that he was going out, and didn't really give any hints on where he was going. He just hopped that whatever Sid wanted with the chest plate, that it was worth it! Glowering at Sid who was staring out at the museum curiously, watching the patrols; Jack sighed "Tell me you have a plan"?

Sid turned back to Jack with a mock hurt look. "Oh please Jack, I am insulted that you would think I would bring you all the way here just to say "By the way, we're gonna wing this". It's really quiet simple actually" Sid smirked. Unfolding a map, he laid it out as he explained "Listen up, here's the plan. The Chestplate is located here in the back of the ominous section. It's guarded by a magical barrier, patrolling guards; and a head light that can detect unknown materials that are within range. The guard's armor shields them from this, so that's why it doesn't go off when they pass".

"Okay, but that's all the way back here" Jack pointed at the map as he traced his finger towards an entrance. "We're all the way over here. So unless you have the magic to just…actually wait, I take that back. You DO have the magic to just appear in there and take it. Yet, you'd rather go through all this hassle…why" Jack demanded.

"Cause its funnier" Sid shrugged simply.

"Yeah, I think we're done here now" Jack snorted as he turned to leave, not about to risk getting himself caught and in trouble with the Princesses because his friend was bored. He halted when Sid then snapped his fingers and appeared in front of him. "Look, I don't want to.." he started.

"What if we got something for you as well hmm? Something for Rarity" Sid smiled, knowing that would get him. However, his smile shifted into a frown when Jack shook his head.

"You're not gonna use that against me, so n…ugghh" Jack stopped as he put an aggravated hand to his head as it suddenly hurt. Looking up at Sid, who insisted upon his help; Jack nodded blankly as he suddenly felt compelled to do what his friend asked. "Uggh, this is the last time" Jack grumbled as he shook his head to get whatever weird feeling he was having off of him.

"Of courseee" Sid smirked, as he held up a hand. "Scout's honor" he swore as he crossed his fingers behind his back. Pointing towards an open window, he grinned "Over there, is our entrance. So, I suggest we get goin now before the guards change their patrols".

"I'm gonna regret this, I just know I am" grumbled Jack as he followed his friend.

"Hmmm" Pinkie thought, as she ran a hoof through his lips in a bored and almost silly manner. She was super, duper excited for The Grand Galloping Gala! No doubt things were gonna be a lot funnier this time around then last year. But that was still a few days away. What was she supposed to do for fun for the next couple of days?

Pondering this to herself as she sat in her room, she let out an exaggerated sigh. Flopping onto her back, she stared up tiredly at the ceiling with a discontented stare. Oh this was no fun! She was gonna go totally bonkers. Well, more so than usual if she didn't find something to keep she entertained. A smile came to her face as she thought "I know, I'll go shopping for cakes!...Nah, I can do that anytime. Ooh, how about foal sitting?...Nah, I'm sure it's not needed".

As she continued to try to think of someway she could have fun, her eyes drifted over to the calendar. Immediately, her eyes lit up with glee as she leaped from her bed and ended up smacking her face against the calendar. Pulling her face off from the wall, she narrowed her eyes intently at tomorrow's date. April..April Foals Day…ARPIL FOALS DAY IS TOMMOROW!

"YES" she cheered, overwhelmed with joy as she stared to hop around her room in a little happy dance! The day where ponies spent their free time pranking, and messing around with each other for laughs! One of, if not her favorite holiday of all time! "Oh I have so much planning to do before tomorrow, like who I'm gonna prank first and what sort of pranks IM gonna do" she giggled to herself. Going to rush off to get started in planning, she halted in place.

Wait a sec..this was Canterlot! The most presto..prestog..something or other city in all of Equestria. A lot of the ponies here were really up tight, high and mighty kinda ponies that didn't really spend time doing pranks or fooling around. Besides, what if the princesses didn't approve? Down casted at this idea, she went to sit down before thinking on it again. "But..Celestia did have fun at the last Grand Galloping Gala, so…maybe she wouldn't mind" she reasoned.

Getting excited again, she nodded "Yeah, and this would be good for Equestria's ponies! For them to have alittle bit of excitement in their lives! Maybe not pranking them in particular, but at least showing and giving them their own ideas! Yeah, yeah but..who should I prank…oh". Looking up, a sneaky smirk etched onto her features. "Jack" she smirked eagerly.

She'd declare a prank war on him tomorrow, and see if she could out do any pranks that he comes up with. Well, it shouldn't really be a problem to outdo any of his pranks! Getting abit cocky at this notion, Pinkie nodded as she chuckled "Oh yeah, this is gonna be so much fun"! But wait a sec! What about her friends? She didn't want to leave them out! And she didn't want to worry too much about being pranked by her own friends..even though she had no doubt of being pranked.

"Hmm…an alliance amongst members of my friends against Jack" she decided; thinking who she could get to stand side by side with her! Immediately, her thoughts went to Rainbow Dash but decided against asking her. If both her and Dash teamed up against Jack, then it really wouldn't be any fair! Jack would probably feel outnumbered and overwhelmed. She was gonna give him a handicap this year.

"Hmm…maybe Rarity" Pinkie thought to herself sneakily. Couples competing against each other would make things really interesting to see what they would do to each other, especially if they were in love as much as Jack and Rarity were. And who knew, it could end up bringing them closer together! "Let's see..Rarity, Spike…one more" she thought hard. Applejack probably wouldn't be interested since some pranks could be created from lies, and Fluttershy wasn't really into pranking…hmm".

Her thoughts drifted to the couple Shining Armor and Princesses Cadence. Although they were both technically royalty, maybe a day away from duties would be good for both of them! Siding against each other could…well, first was the process of recruiting all these allies.

"Oh tomorrow..Jack you are soooo going down" she smiled to herself as she rushed out of her room to ask the others if they were interested.

"Alright, so how do we get this started" Jack grumbled as he slipped through the opening in the window, gently making sure that it remained opened. They didn't need to give away that they had been there before. Turning to face Sid, he glanced past him to get a view on where they were. They were in one of the museums libraries from the looks of it; shelves as tall as the eye could see all around them; and patrols all over the place.

"We split up..make our way towards the exit of this room. I think that's self-explanatory" Sid snorted at Jacks stupid question.

Turning away, Jack shook his head. "Nah, I don't think we should split up. I don't really know this place that well, so we need too…and he's gone" Jack growled to himself as he turned back to see Sid was already gone and making his move. Slapping himself hard in the side of the head, he wondered how he had let himself get talked into doing this. That really made him pause..how did he agree to this? Come to think of it, he didn't recall ever saying yes to this or..even considering doing it. So how was it he was at this point now; going along with Sid's plan?

Oddly enough whenever he tried to think about it, his head hurt. "Either I'm stupid, or I don't remember at all. Likely abit of both. Pressing his back against some of the shelves, Jack shimmied over to the edge of the shelf, as he slowly peeked. He could see a beam of light slowly trail its way down the sections. "Oh no, is he coming this way" Jack thought worried. His worries diminished however as the light turned around and vanished. "Whew" he sighed as he really didn't want to have to fight anyone here.

Slowly following where the light had gone, he arrived in time to see a unicorn guard turn the corner of the next shelf. Tiptoeing, he blinked as a beam of light was about to shine on him from his left. Dropping to the floor, he covered his mouth to keep himself from screaming in shock as he looked to see the light coming from an opening in the shelf. "Crap, crap, crap! How did I not notice that" he thought to himself annoyed.

Getting back to his feet, Jack arrived at an intersection. Glancing to the left and right, he thought "Okay senses, please don't fail me now. Left or right..ummm…Okay, I'll try right". Going right, he immediately had to take another left and covered his mouth once more to see he was inches away from a guard. Fortunately, his back was turned however. Wondering what he should do, he started to panic inside as the guard started to turn left to face him.

Not knowing what else to do, Jack started to tiptoe to the right as he went in the opposite direction; ending up behind him once more as the guard started to walk down where Jack had been. "Holy…I cannot believe that I just went and pulled that off. I must be the luckiest bastard in the whole world" he laughed inside as he turned and kept going. Looking up, he narrowed his eyes at the sight of Sid jumping from one shelf to the next, running on top of them.

"Sure, use the powers that someone doesn't have. I don't think my powers would really help, apart from burning the whole place down. That would really go well with the princesses" he laughed lightly as he could just picture the looks on their faces.

Who's there?

Jack gasped as he ducked behind a corner, watching the beam of light hit the shelf next to him. "Oh no, oh no..I'm caught" he thought miserably as the guard appeared…right in time as Sid leaped from the shelf above, knocking the guard out with an elbow strike to the pressure point on the neck. Staring at Sid in disbelief, Sid smirked in response as he pointed at the exit of the library.

"My my Rarity, you do look marvelous" Rarity complimented herself cheerfully as she looked over herself in satisfaction. Having given her mane a change, she had to admit she did look quite beautiful when she stylized it into a ponytail. The question was however weather she preferred it in its original style, or if she liked it better this way? Going to apply some cream over her eyes, she let out a yelp of surprise as the door slammed open! "EEK" she cried out, as she whirled around and held where her heart was as she sighed at the sight of Pinkie. "Pinkie darling! Please knock next time" she urged her friend.

"Sorry Rarity, I was so excited about what I had in mind, that I guess I wasn't paying attention and got over eager" giggled Pinkie sheepishly. Hopping next to Rarity, she smirked "I was standing in my room pacing because I was going bonkers from trying to think of an idea of what to do for the next few days when bang! I had a moment where I became brilliant" she grinned.

"Ahh, and err..what was this brilliant idea" Rarity asked in response.

Rolling her eyes in response in a "I-know-something-you-don't-know" manner, Pinkie beamed "Picture this! You wake up tomorrow morning, the sun shining in your eyes. You walk out of your room, and BANG! A pie comes out of nowhere and gets you in the face! It would be so totally random and funny that you couldn't help but laugh! Tomorrow is April Foal's Day, and I want you on my side so we can wage war"!

"That does sound fun yes Pinkie, but it sounds abit childish and like something that really wouldn't interest me. I'm sorry to say since you really look excited, but I don't think I would be up for something like that" Rarity admitted, hopping her friend wouldn't get upset. Turning back to the mirror, she asked "Opinion, does my mane look better now, or original"?

"Original. But what if you were going against Jack" Pinkie brought up. Bringing up his name caused Rarity's ears to perk up, as Pinkie continued "Think of it, going against Jack to see who the better prankster is. At the end of the end, it would bring you too closer together and come to better appreciate each other. Besides if you had any sort of inner thoughts of wanting to show him what for…you could get away with it here".

That was really tempting! Extremely tempting! Looking down as if what her mane looked like didn't even matter, Rarity pictured in her head the aftermath of the prank war. Her entire body was covered in pastries, her mane splashed with sugary beverages, and her hooves completely dirty. Jack approaching her from the other side of the war, a sheepish grin on his face. His clothes were a mess! His hair was dyed green, whilst his tongue was bright red from having drunk hot sauce. Meeting in the middle, the two of them tackled each other as they started to make out!

"Mmmm" Rarity murred lightly at the thought, closing her eyes as if she was there right now experiencing the pleasure. Feeling eyes on her, she blushed immensely before coughing and trying to brush off Pinkies stare. "Ahh, I mean that does sound rather fun and..perhaps it would bring us closer together. Who knows…maybe I could out prank Jack".

"That's the spirit Rarity! Sooo, you'll do it? You're in" Pinkie pressed, hopping to get confirmation.

Turning to face Pinkie, Rarity nodded rapidly "Mmm hmm, I'm in Pinkie Pie. Even if I do get dirty, and this game does seem childish..it could be rather exhilarating being against each other as we try our best to outdo each other at every turn"!

"Yup Rarity! Thanks! I'm gonna go ask others" Pinkie grinned, before turning and running out of the room.

"Oh no" Jack laughed bitterly at the sight before him. The library hadn't been enough, oh no. Now they had to go through an art gallery! He had to admit some of the art was pretty good with some depictions of some heroic looking ponies; like one that had a black manned, green furred Pegasus with a sword in his teeth as he was charging towards what looked like a Minotaur like monster. But Jack wasn't here to admire any paintings, he was here to get this stupid armor and get out!

"Okay, since there is two ways for us to do this; here's the plan" Sid smiled as he poked Jack in the chest. "You go to the left over their" Sid started, pointing towards the left wing that led to a long hall. "And I shall go to the right wing. We meet up at the end of the wind, and continue through the exit to the next exhibit which has our goal" smiled Sid condescendingly.

"Alright alright, I swear though that this had better go a lot better than last…gone again..Why do I even bother" Jack asked aloud as he turned to see Sid gone once more. "He's screwing with me, and having fun doing it. He won't be laughing so hard when I smash my fist against his jaw" threated Jack to himself as he turned and started to proceed down the left wing hall.

At first it was easy, no sign of any guard ponies or any threatening creeps that tried to get in his way. Plus, Jack had to admit that some of the artwork was pretty good! Passing by, he nodded at the fact that the gallery had a gently blue hum that seemed to illuminate everything, including himself. It provided a very peaceful feeling for the gallery. Stopping at one painting, he looked closely at what it depicted as his eyes widened in shock. "I'll be damned" he whispered softly, a slow smirk etching onto his face.

It was his friends! Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie, Rainbow, Flutter, and Apple! All of them were surrounding the creature Discord as multicolored beams of light were emerging from the friends and blasting Discord! Flinching at the pain stricken look on Discord's face, Jack's eyes drifted to another painting as it was much more drab and unclear looking. In fact, he could barely make out what the painting was depicting. But..it had what looked like a being, standing on two legs; in both hands were blades of..fire. He was standing before a horrible, giant..dragon looking thing.

"Wait…is that" he mused as he leaned in to get a closer look but halted as he could hear the sound of hoof steps approaching him! "Oh crap, I gotta get lost" he panicked; looking left and right for a means to disappear.

The unicorn guard yawned as he passed by the statue of Discord, and his "adoptive" daughter; Screwball aka Merry Melody. Rolling his eyes as apparently Discord had warped Merry's mind making her bait more nutter then..wait..wasn't there only two statues? Turning back to see Discord holding a giggling Screwball, he glanced down at the kneeling two legged creature with an exaggerated grin on his face. Eyeing it, he leaned it to get a better look as he spoke "Huh, looks really family..".

BANG!

"What was that" the guard gasped as he turned and rushed off in the other direction towards the noise.

"Whew" Jack sighed as he got up, rubbing the sweat from his brow. That was too close! Another second, and he probably woulda been caught. Looking up at Discord, he mock saluted him as he shrugged "Thanks crazy Discord" before running off to meet up with Sid.

"Hmm, I wonder if she'll prefer it here…or maybe up here" Shining Armor explained as he narrowed his eyes in scrutiny at his outfit. He was planning tomorrow evening to take his beloved to the Sapphire Star Grazer; a really elegant restaurant that could be used to his advantage to express his love towards his beloved Cadence. He only hopped that she would like the idea, and find it incredibly romantic! "Hmm, looks good yeah. I think she'll like it" he smiled as he looked over his uniform as he readjusted the star symbol, wanting it to look perfect for tomorrow.

BOOM!

Shining almost jumped in shock at the sound of his door being busted down! Whirling around to face an assumed attacker, he was surprised to see that it was a dizzy, and very silly looking Pinkie Pie whose eyes were rolling around in a cartoonish manner. Smiling lightly, he nodded "Ahh, hello Pinkie Pie? Is there a problem" he assumed as why else would she have busted down his door like that. Watching her get to her hooves, he blinked as she asked him what day it was tomorrow. "Umm..Tuesday" Shining answered simply.

"Nope, nope! It's April Foals Day" Pinkie shouted dramatically, beaming from ear to ear. Her grin fell through when he started at her with a blank expression. "You knooow, the holiday where everypony spends their free time pranking and messing around with each other for laughs"?

"Oh..OH! Oh yeah, I remember now! Celestia, the last time I participated in that was…gosh, I dunno. A long time ago I think" he chuckled as in his youth he had been pretty different, what with being less responsible and more eager for hanging around. Wondering why she had even brought it up, Shining asked "Yeah, I'm glad it's tomorrow but why are you bringing this up Pinkie Pie"?

"Weell..cause I was hoping you'd like to help me tomorrow with some pranks! I'm getting some of the others together to team up in a pranking war against some pony" Pinkie explained in a sing song voice! "You work really really hard, and it would be good to just stop to take a breathe, and have some laughs along the way. Besides, I think you're entitled to a day off from work…umm..aren't you"?

Staring at Pinkie with bemusement, he nodded "I am yes, but I don't know if I could take it. I'm really dutiful towards my role as Captain of the Guard. It wouldn't be right if the Captain took a day off, especially for a day that I haven't really participated in Celestia knows how long. Thank you very much for the offer, but I think n..".

"Princess Cadence is participating "Pinkie cut off, watching Shining freeze at the mention of her name.

Whirling around to face Pinkie, Shining blinked "Say what now"?

"Oh yeah, I asked her and she said it would be good to partake in something that she hadn't done since she was young. She agreed that it would be good for loved ones to go against each other on a day where they can prank the hay outta one another where at the end of the day; whatever they were planning to do together becomes even more sweeter. Sooo, she's gonna be going against you if you participate"!

Shining stared completely dumbfounded, as he looked away as he thought. Cadence was going against him? But who was she working with! "But..who's the one you're going against" Shining asked slowly.

"Jack" was all Pinkie said with a sly smirk.

Looking up at this, Shining thought to himself "Well..if Cadence is going to participate..maybe I should".

"Oh! And Twilight is also working with Jack" Pinkie brought up.

"Okay, I'm in" Shining nodded in agreement, having been convinced.

"Are you sure about this" Jack hissed softly to Sid, letting go of the rope to hold his head. He could feel all the blood rushing to it and by god it was really starting to get to him. Looking down, he could feel a slight hint of vertigo starting to kick in and therefore make things even worse than they already were. One would think with how he spent most of his nights in New York doing parkour/free running that he wouldn't be experiencing any vertigo.

Jack was currently shimming upside on a thick rope that supported some of the thick curtains in the main exhibit of the museum, the pre-Equestrian exhibit. He had to in order to get to the wing without taking the normal route and being spotted by the guards. Over in the back was the Chestplate of Anarchy. Well, let's say one thing led to another; Jack was the only one who could get his hands on It without setting off any magical traps since the trap was activated by any Equestrian based creature. Jack however, was not equestrian based so he was in the clear.

"That still makes me wonder however how he plans on it not being known that I was the one who stole this" he grumbled to himself as he looked over at the smug looking Sid, who was leaning against a pillar and watching Jack having to put himself through this. Looking down, he could still see two guards standing in front of the glass case that contained the armor. Shimming over the two of them, Jack glanced over at Sid with a half pleading expression that screamed "Is there no other way"?

Watching him shake his head, Jack let out a bitter chuckle. "Whelp, It was fun being on the outside of prison bars" as he let go and landed on top of the two guards heads, smashing their heads into the floor rendering them unconscious instantly.

Freezing for a few moments to see if they were going to get up, Jack got worried as he hopped he didn't kill them. Putting a hand down to one of their necks, he let out a sigh of relief as he felt a pulse. Good, he didn't want murder on his conscious. Looking up at the now grinning Sid, Jack beckoned him to come down and help.

"Alright, here we are.." Jack nodded as he looked over the chest plate. It was a deep charcoal black, with golden trimmed outlines surrounding it. In the middle of the chest plate, was a symbol that Jack might have compared to the yin/yang symbol if it wasn't for the two horses that were in opposite colors of white and black. "Alright, here goes" Jack sighed as he slowly reached for the case with sweat pouring from his brow. The case was designed to go off at the slightest touch from any Non-guard hoof. Closeting his eyes, he whispered a goodbye as he touched the glass annnnnnd…nothing happened.

"Whew, man..that was close" Jack laughed weakly as he opened the case.

"Outta my way" Sid snapped impatiently as he brushed Jack aside, an eager grin on his face. Reaching into the case, he gently pulled out the chest plate as he looked over it with a thoughtful grin. Snapping his fingers, it disappeared and reappeared fastened underneath his shirt. "Well, now that that is that, we can just do this" Sid joked as he snapped his fingers again; a knock off copy of the armor appearing in the case.

Jack closed it in response, as he said "Alright, we did it…I got what you wanted. Now I want you to understand this. We..are done with the whole breaking and entering thing for now okay? I just want a day of peace".

"Yeah…you can have your peace" Sid responded ideally as he seemed incredibly distracted now, staring down at the chest plate in awe. Smirking at it, he looked up and gave Jack a pat on the shoulder. "Gotta say buddy, you really came through for me here. I was worried that you were gonna become a pansy, and back out on me. Luckily, my good old buddy Jack stuck around. To show my appreciation". He paused as he snapped his fingers and bang! They were outside!

"Have fun with your friends, I'll see you…I guess whenever" Sid nodded as he turned away, still grinning at having gotten his hands on the armor. As he traced his finger around the edges of it, he was surprised at how light it felt. Going out of sight, he wondered how it would affect his powers. Deciding to produce a small ball of electrical energy, he was surprised to see it appeared as a large sized one. "OOo, that's good..that's really good indeed" he nodded in satisfaction.

"Jack" Rarity smiled in glee to see her boyfriend reenter the room. She was surprised at the heavy bags that were under his eyes to signify how tired he was. Watching him silently walk past her, she called "Ahh, Jack..abit of warning about tomorrow. You might want to be careful around the others" she warned, not wanting to let him know that she was against him for tomorrow, at least not yet.

"Whatever it is, I'll deal with it in the morning. I just need sleep" Jack yawned heavily as whatever Rarity had to say next was blocked out as he drifted to sleep.

_**Another story related chapter done! Some of you have been giving me really great ideas. I just wish I had gotten them sooner though because I don't know if I'll be able to fit them in so late in the story. If any have any ideas for a later part, I'd be willing to listen . Anyway, see you all next week! Read and review plz!**_


	29. Chapter 29

_**Disclaimer: I wonder to myself, how things would differ if Discord had gone beyond his original plan, or if he even had a plan. Like was Canterlot affected by his wrapped little mind? What about Cloudsdale? Or the rest of Equestria? What do you all think?**_

_**Chapter 29: April Foal's Day!**_

"Uuuughhh" moaned Jack as he felt like his head was about to split in two. Reaching up to rub his forehead, he silently wished to himself that next time he should get into bed properly before he goes to sleep, so he doesn't wake up in a position that hurts his neck. Sitting up, Jack ran a hand through his messy hair as he grunted "Ow..everything hurts…". Exaggerating yes, but at the moment he didn't care.

Spotting the alarm, he noted "Huh..9:06. Usually I wake up later then this". Surprisingly, he should have really since the events of last night wore him out. Oh yeah, last night. Rubbing his forehead, he grumbled "Hopefully that's the last time Sid is gonna need me for something crazy like that…oh who am I kidding, he's probably already setting something up for us both to do together. What a considerate dickweed" he snorted as he flopped his head back into the pillow. He was tempted to go back to sleep, but figured it was pointless now that he was awake.

Looking over to his left to greet Rarity, he was surprised to see she wasn't in bed next to him. "Eh" Jack asked aloud as he started to sit up so his mind could adjust. Rubbing the sand from his eyes, he paused as he felt something against his ear. Glancing up, he thought "The hell" as he spotted an elaborated wire that ran from over the bed, across the floor and towards the closet.

Slowly getting out of bed, Jack followed the wire closely as he traced his finger around the edges of it. Who had set this up in his room, and how had it been done without waking him up? Well, it probably wasn't hard since he was practically comatose in his sleeping. So really he had no one to blame but himself. Getting down low, he hugged the carpet as he continued to trace his finger around the wire witch had been fastened to his bed.

"Whoever did this is either really crafty, or really stupid" Jack mused as his finger stopped at the entrance towards the closet. It was a trap most likely! Yes! When he opened the closet, something was going to either jump out or fall on top of him! Well, he was no idiot! Smirking at his own genius as he stepped to the side, he slowly dug a finger into the handle of the door. Closing his eyes, he opened closet and watched as..nothing happened.

"Huh" Jack gasped as he stepped back in front of the closet. This turned out to be a fatal mistake as the wire was merely a decoy. Hearing a whistling sound, Jack glanced up in time as something cold splashed all over him; douching him completely! "GAAAAAAH! COLDDDD" Jack screamed in alarm, no doubt loud enough to wake all of Canterlot! Shivering in place, a familiar laughter plagued his ears as he glanced to the left to see a giggling Pinkie Pie standing in the door way.

"APRIL FOALLLSS" she grinned playfully, waving to him before rushing out of sight!

"Da..du..du..dam..damn..yuh..yuh..you ..Pink..Pinkie..Pi.. " stuttered a shivering Jack as he rushed into the bathroom to dry himself off. What had she just said? April Foal's day? It musta been the Equestrian based prankster holiday of April Fools day back on Earth. If this was so, then Jack defiantly needed to keep his guard up today. The last thing he wanted was to fall into a pit of..of..cakes!

Walking out of the bathroom dry, he grinned "Whelp, all dry. I'll just head down to breakfast with no pro..ACK" he cried out as the moment he had stepped out into the hall; his vision was blinded by custard pie, as a familiar giggle filled his ears.

"THIS MEANS WAR DAMNIT" Jack declared as he rushed back into his room moments later!

"Hey Jack" Dash called over to the human, watching him jump in alarm. Wondering what had him so spooked, she watched as he slowly made his way towards her as he kept looking over his shoulder nervously for any sign of..whatever it was he was looking for. Noticing traces of what looked like pie smudged into his shirt, she smirked "Pinkie got you didn't she"?

"Wait..you knew what she was up too" Jack demanded, stomping up to the Pegasus. "Cause, I really am not in the mood fo..err what are you doing" he questioned as Dash used her wing to pull him in close as she whispered into his ear.

"Pinkie declared a prank war today to celebrate April Foal's Day, and apparently you were made team leader last night! Twilight, Princess Cadence and myself are your team members and the idea is to see which team can out prank the other. A lot has already happened before you woke up! Like I manage to dump a bucket of oatmeal all over Pinkie! And then Spike put worms in Cadence's soup! Then..".

"Wait, wait wait..I need to know this..what about Rarity? Whose side is she on" Jack demanded. Watching as Rainbow lowered her head in defeat, Jack cringed "Awww crap! If she's against me then I'm in big trouble..wait..royalty are playing in this game" he questioned as he heard Cadence was in this game? And for that matter, who made him leader against his will? He didn't ask to be leader! "I don't want to be leader, you take up the mantle. All I want to is..WHOA" Jack cried aloud as he almost got blasted with Rainbow Dye from a hose that had been set up in the hall.

"Eaaaasy there, you almost walked into my trap" grinned a cheeky Dash.

"Yeah yeah, a million laughs. Look if this is indeed war, then who am I up against" asked Jack. Nodding as he heard the names Rarity, Spike, Shining Armor, and Pinkie; he asked "Why aren't Applekjack and Fluttershy apart of this"? Nodding again to the obvious answers, Jack growled "Well there's no way that I'm gonna let Pinkie Pie, or any of the others get the best of me. By the time the day has ended those ponies are gonna be begging for mercy! And Ill say "Nah"!

"Great, so breakfast time! Now" Dash insisted as she pushed the human towards the dining room. Reaching the room, Dash looked up at all the ponies sitting at the table eating quietly, the team members eyeing each other and their rivals with sneaky grins on their faces. Celestia and Luna seemed to be completely oblivious to what was going on at the moment since they weren't really questioning why the two teams were giving each other the evil eye however, but this didn't deter the team.

Jack slowly sat down as a loud flatulence sound erupted, echoing through the dining room. Looking down to see a whoopee cushion; he glared daggers at Pinkie who was struggling to keep herself from bursting out with laughter. Blushing furiously, he removed the whoopee cushion as he wondered how to initiate that he was ready for her and her team.

Picking up an ice cube from his water, he pointed out the window. "Your majesty, what is that" he asked the princesses! Watching as every pony turned to look out the window; Jack hefted the ice cube into the air, causing it to soar right into Pinkie's mane as it slide down her scalp down her neck. This caused an eep to emerge from the pony as she accidentally splashed her face into her cereal bowl, flakes flying onto the table as Jack grinned in delight!

"What is what Jack? I didn't see anythi..umm, Pinkie Pie; perhaps you would enjoy your breakfast much more if you were eating it without your entire face in it" informed a bemused Celestia as she watched Pinkie Pie emerge from the bowl, milk dripping all over her face.

Swallowing the milk, Pinkie shot Jack a mock glare at his cheeky, grinning face. Smirking in return, she leaned next to Shining Armor as she whispered into his ear. Watching with glee as he messaged was passed down from one pony to the next; Pinkie was satisfied to see Rarity write something on her napkin as she sent it over to Jack. The whole situation did seem rather ridiculous, as if they were little foals back in class as they passed notes whilst the teacher wasn't looking.

Unfolding the napkin, Jack read only two words: HEADS UP!

Looking up, Jack looked up to see a barrel of water just edges over the bannister above. Looking down to see a grinning Shining Armors horn glowing, threatening to open up the barrel; splashing him with water if he dared to try anything! Growling to himself, he eyed the team as his vision set on Rarity. How could she do this to him? Going against the one person who cared about her more than life itself now! Why did war have to come betwe..ooh. Spotting more of the message on the back, it said: WATCH OVER YOUR CLOTHES! Not knowing what this ominous message meant, he became nervously and fidgety as all love left him; replaced only with vengeance.

"Okay Rarity, whatever you have planned I hope you're prepared for one thing: All's fair in love and war" he thought sinisterly as he slowly started to eat his meal.

Rarity hummed softly to herself as she gently adjusted her mane, enraptured by the lovely vision of beauty that stared back at her from the mirror in the bedroom. "My my Rarity, you do look marvelous" she hummed softly at the sight of herself. IF there was one thing she knew more than anypony, it was how to take care of her mane! Giggling at the sight, her thoughts drifted to Jack. In a way, she felt abit saddened that she had to go against him but really it was for the best! Why, when the day was done; the two fo them would probably throw themselves into each other's arms!

Beaming at the notion, she reached for some more hair product when suddenly something zipped by her at high speed. Her head whirling to where it had left, she saw no sign of whatever had been in the room with her. Thinking it had been nothing, she shrugged as she turned back to the product and started to squeeze it into her mane.

"MMmmm..hmm" she hummed in curiosity as the product suddenly felt different. It didn't feel warm, and soothing like it was supposed to; rather it felt..cold and…slimey? What in the world" she mused as she reached up and felt the product; feeling like she was now paralyzed! It..it was moving whatever it was.

Fear evident on her face, she reached up and removed some of the product, looking it over with her hoof. "OH…no" she gaped in terror, her mouth dropping further with every second at the creature in her hoof. Worms…her product had been replaced with a fake bottle filled with..worms…

!

She screamed so loud that it most likely shattered the sound barrier as all of Canterlot most likely heard her scream of terror! Outside in the hall, we're a pair of giggling pranksters as a certain rainbow styled Pegasus, and human hoof pounded it as they held Rarity's real product!

"Oh Celestia, if only I could see the look on her face" laughed Rainbow Dash; holding her gut as she struggled to keep herself from falling over in laughter! Eyeing a smug looking Jack, she smirked "What? What is it"?

"Oh we'll see her expression later! I got it alllll on my cellphone. Hide it in her room during that little distraction, and set it to silent mode" Jack grinned as he placed his arm around Rainbow Dashes neck. "Yup! So much for little miss sensational" chortled the human as he led Dash away, not knowing that Rarity was watching with an angered/evil grin.

"Oh enjoy your victory whilst you can Jack! So blinded are you by green with envy for being pranked earlier. I do hope you like pink" Rarity cackled, immediately rushing off to get her job down!

"Man, I must say Jack you are really off to a good start" complimented the human to himself as he looked at himself in the bathroom as he pissed. It was early in the afternoon now, around 11:25 as he was getting ready to head out and get himself something to drink from one of the restaurants in Canterlot. He could just eat here; but really what would be the point? He could get everything he wanted and without any challenge at all. Boring!

Feeling bad for what he had done to Rarity, he brushed it off with a wave. "Bah, it'll be fine. She'll forgive me cause let's face it: She can't go on without me"! Laughing aloud, he paused as he grumbled "Alright went alitte far there. Let's just say her life would be boring". He still sounded arrogant, how could he compliment himself without sounding like an ass? Pausing to think this over, he heard someone moving outside!

Keeping his guard up, he whirled around as he kicked the door open to confront his would be prankster! "AHA" he declared in time, as something smacked him in the face! The whole room went white from the smoke bomb device that hit him! Suddenly, he was being electrocuted as he twitched rapidly from the sudden shock he was getting and…nothing more.

As the whiteness faded, he looked around the room as he noted nothing was out of place, he didn't feel weird and it looked things were fine. Rubbing the powder off his face, he snorted "Is this the best you got Rarity? Cause this really isn't..". He was cut off from a scream from Rainbow Dash as he rushed out into the hall as fast as he could!

"Hey Dash! What's the matt..Pfft…pfft..Hahahahahahah! Wha..wha..what the hell happened to you" laughed Jack in mockery as he pointed at the mighty Rainbow Dash! Her mane had been stylized into pigtails and she had thick eyeliner all over! She was wearing what looked like a pink ballroom dress that was fastened by a thick bow in the back!

Rainbow Dash growled angrily, but stopped as she busted into laughter at the sight of Jack! "Me? What about..yuh..ha..you..ahahahahaa" laughed Rainbow Dash as she pointed at the human! Probably one of Jacks worst nightmares was being dressed as something that was completely against his personality! Which was tough, sarcastic, and cocky. What he was wearing screamed, sensitive, sweet, and soft.

"ACK" Jack screamed at the sight of himself! Now he knew what that shock had been about! His hair was now in a ponytail, with a bowtie in it. He was dressed in a bright pink ballet outfit, completely with matching slippers! Hearing laughter at the end of the hall, the two of them spotted a grinning Rarity!

"Oh my! Jack, Dash; you both look so pretty" laughed Rarity as she disappeared from sight.

Locking eyes with Dash, Jack nodded "We need help".

Spike grinned widely as he dug through one of the many castles fridges, hungry and eager for some food! Boy oh boy, was the day going well! He was so glad that he had been able to take part in Rarity's plan against Jack and Dash! Even though he was the youngest contender of this little game, he was still eager and willing to have some fun with his ideas!

It was he after all, who came up with the idea for the Smokey bomb! Well, he didn't make it since it was an experimental thing being made by the guards, so Shining gave it to him; but he came up with the distraction still! Now here he was celebrating his victory for his team by getting himself something yummy to eat! Hmmm, what sounded good though?

Looking at the time, he noted that it was almost 1:00. "Hmm, maybe a bottle of cola with a chocolate donut would suit me well" Spike grinned in delight, licking his lips at the thought of such a delicious feast! He suddenly pictured himself sitting on a mountain of donuts, a river of cola at the base of the mountain as he slowly, but surely ate away at his delicious mountain. "Mmm, that sounds really good! I wonder how many donuts we have" Spike queried as he started to dig through the fridge!

Immediately, the lights went out as the curtains closed over the windows; sending the room into complete darkness! Spike let out an eep as he looked around in the dimly light room, the only source of light coming from the open refrigerator. Chuckling weakly, he shrugged "Oh well, it's..it's no big deal. Good thing that I have the light on in here". Then the light went out on its own, jinxing him.

"Oh..okay, whoever's doing this; I..I..I'm not afraid" Spike called out into room, suddenly afraid for his life! It wasn't the darkness that scared Spike, no no no. It was what was IN the darkness. The unknown. Immediately, horrifying images of a bug eyed creature with ten eyes, and dozens of tentacles we're reaching out towards him, dragging him into its gaping maw! Shaking his head at the notion, he laughed "Ha! I laugh in the face of danger"!

"BANG" Went the sound of a slamming door!

"EEK" Spike shouted in alarm as he dove for cover; bonking his head against the nearby table. He had to do something about this darkness. But wh..of course! Reaching up onto the table, he smiled as he felt his claws grasp a candelabra as he light the candle; illuminating the room. Smiling, he turned away and froze at the sight of a single present in the middle of the room.

It was a trap. Anyone could see that it was, and that really it would take a numbskull to open that present up! Approaching it slowly, his head whirled in the direction of bells chiming and ringing; the noises coming from seemingly every direction. Gulping, he thought to himself "Calm down, calm down. There's nothing to be afraid of. You're not afraid. You're not afraid".

Reaching the box, he slowly placed his claws under the cover top as he thought "Here we go". Ripping it off as he expected something to jump out at him, he paused. Nothing happened. Peeking into the box, he remarked "Empty? Why would it be empt..". An animalistic growl filled the air, as Spike shivered in fear as he could feel something breathing at his neck..right…behind him. Gulping, he slowly turned to face the monster as suddenly a flash light lit up the room; pointed at what looked like a bug eyed monsters face!

"BOO" sneered the creature.

"" Spike screamed, turning as he ran from the room in absolute terror, as he started to hiccup rapidly from being scared as a cheeky Twilight Sparkles removed the mask from her face; turning the lights back on!

"Well, that certainly went a lot better than I had originally planned" Twilight grinned, patting herself on the back for a prank well done. Truth be told, she had only been planning on just flickering the lights on and off whilst she would get closer, and closer to Spike in her mask, no doubt freaking him out. Yet she decided to get for the Paramaneol activity approach and scare the living heck outta the little guy!

"Well, Twilight perhaps you should write that as your next lesson you learned" she joked to herself as she played out the scenario in her head. "Dear Princess Celestia, today I learned on how to become a devious, sneaky planner! Something that defiantly is completely out of character since I usually leave all the silliness to Pinkie Pie. Yet today, I couldn't help myself as I successfully scared Spike"! Grinning, Twilight reached up for another book from her shelf as something ran past her bedroom door. "Huh" she questioned; trotting out to investigate.

Looking left and right, she spotted no sign of anypony. Raising a brow, she glanced down and smiled lightly at her luck. "Huh, a bit" she grinned as she reached down to pick it up. As she did so, she failed to hear the sound of rolling skates being sent in her direction at high speed! Grinning, she took one step back to get a better look as she ended up placing her hoofs into the moving skates!" HEeeeyyYyyyyyyyy" she cried out in shock; surprised by the unexpected turn of events.

Skating down the hall, she tried to hop out of the skates but found her hooves stuck! Lifting them, she gasped to see super glue stuck to the bottom of her hooves! "Oh Celestia no" she cried out in alarm as she continued to roller skate against her will! Up ahead she gasped at the sight of what looked like a huge bag of flour; all set up!

"OH CR…" she started to say but was cut off as she splattered against the bag, now completely covered in flour. Rubbing her eyes to get the whiteness out of it, she opened them in time to collide into dozens of opened pillow bags! Repapering from the pillow bags, she sputtered and spurred; wiping away at the feathers that had gotten into her eyes. "Da..darn it! I..I can't see" she managed to cry out!

Whoever was pulling off this prank was really outdoing him or herself! She just wished she could see who it was, so she could get her hooves on him/her and…EEK! Her thoughts were cut off as down from a banister fell a red sock; covering the top of her mane before something jumped past her and forced a yellow pointy cup on her mouth.

Finally rolling to a stop, Twilight looked overself in dismay. With the feathers, red sock, and yellow cup; she resembled a giant chicken! "Oh now this was just too..who did this" she demanded, abit annoyed at being made to look the fool! Hearing a powerful snick coming from the other side of the hallway; she shot her eyes over at the noise; galloping as fast as she could.

"YOU" she cried out loud, pointing at the giggling Spike!

"Heh heh, April Foals Twilight" giggled Spike, getting up as he took off running in the other direction to escape from the Chicken Twilight Sparkles!

"Oh I don't know if I can do it" Shining admitted aloud to himself, deep in thought.

Maybe he shouldn't have agreed to this game of war! It was his duty as Captain of the Royal Guard to prevent war, not instigate it! Shaking his head in exasperation, a small thought of hope rushed through his head as he thought of Cadence. Maybe she felt the same way! That this whole game was..well silly, and not worth doing! He really did hope so since the idea of going against his beloved made him really uncomfortable! Hoping that this day would be over soon, he blinked as suddenly one of his guards rushed into the room!

"Sir, there's been an incident" he informed Shining, urgency evident in his voice.

"At ease, what's the problem" Shining asked his subordinate! Nodding as he listened to the guard tells of how Cadence needed to see him urgently, concerning this game; Shining grinned as he thought that she indeed felt the same! She probably wanted to call a cease fire on this game right now! Thanking the guard, Shining took off out of his office; racing across the field towards the castle! He could see it all now in his head!

He entering the room, smiling at a distraught looking Cadence as she threw herself into his awaiting arms; crying as she begged for the two of them to stop this senseless war so they wouldn't end up hurting one another! Oh what a wonderful thought indeed! Grinning at the notion, he galloped faster up the grand staircase towards Cadence's room! Bursting in, he announced "I'm here Cadence, what's the pro..blem"?

He expected to find her awaiting him eagerly, yet all he found was an empty room! "Ummm, Cadence? Where are you" he questioned aloud. Rubbing the top of his mane in confusion, he failed to notice a heart shaped spell approaching him from behind. "That's weird, she's not he..OOF…uhhhh" Shining blinked as his pupils turned pink. Shaking his head rapidly as he suddenly felt dizzy, he whirled around as he spotted Cadence.

"Cadence…my love" he greeted as he slowly trotted towards her; eager to wrap his hooves around her. Reaching her, he inhaled as he smelt her lovely perfume; the fragment rose scent driving him nearly mad with desire. Grinning, he offered her a hug; beaming with pride as she fell into his hug. "Cadence, I'm so glad that you're here. I've missed you, and being on opposite sides of this war is only making things worse for me! I need you" he informed her, hoping she felt the same.

Watching as she shyly glanced down at her hooves like a school filly, he chuckled "It's alright, I can understand why you're nervous. You think that I would stoop to some petty prank in order to show you up. I would never do that to you Cadence, I hope you feel the same way" he asked.

Still not really receiving a response from her, he took this as a sign of good faith as he leaned in close towards her lips, drawn towards her. "Mmmm, your lips Cadence..They smell even more lovely then they usually do" as his lips connected with hers. Feeling a sudden shock, he froze on the spot at the sound of distinct laughter. Looking up, he could see Cadence rolling on her back; giggling widely as she pointed at him. "Wait, if you're there..than..who.." he paused as he looked down; horrified to see that he had been kissing one of the soldiers!

"Uhhh, Sir as uhh handsome as you are; I don't really feel that way towards" started the completely horrified soldier.

"AGGGGH" Shining cried out in disgust, running into the bathroom as he started to risen and wash his mouth like crazy, glancing back at Cadence who had put a love spell on him! "That..that was dirty" he protested!

"Sorry Shining, all's fair in love and war" she called with glee before leaving the room.

In the end, Shining couldn't find it in himself to prank retaliate Cadence. However a final prank needed to be done between the two groups and both opted to use their leaders; Jack and Pinkie! Ironically enough both of them were using the same prank idea which turned out to be a classic move! The custard pie! The problem was that somepony that they knew well would accidentally end up getting in the middle of the mix!

Looking at his other hand, he nodded in satisfaction as he thought how Pinkie would react when she got hit with not only pie, but a water balloon filled with paint! Pinkie Pie would become Purple Pie!

Shimming his back against the wall as he made his way down the hall, pie held behind his back; Jack smirked lightly to himself as he wondered what exactly he and his team were gonna win once they beat Pinkie's team? Perhaps a medal of some sort, or recognition for having conquered the prankster extraordinaire. One thing was definably for certain, Pinkie would think twice before trying to prank him again! Chuckling lightly at the idea, he gasped as a guard pony trotted by; giving him a strange look. "Ahhh, just delivering this to a friend" Jack responded weakly as the guard went by.

Sighing in relief as the pony didn't question anything, Jack thought to himself "Whew, close one. Last thing I need is to be stopped by security! Hearing a nearby familiar giggle, he tried his best to contain a giggle as put a hand to his mouth, reaching the corner edge of the wall. Oh boy this was gonna be sweet! Looking away, he thought to himself "Alrighty, on three. One…two…THREE" he shouted as he leaped out from hiding and tossed the pie as hard as he could! It collided on target, completely splattering the ponies face in custard pie!

"ALRIGHT! GOTCHA! AND WHILE IM AT IT, HAVE SOME OF THIS" Jack grinned in delight at Pinkie before heaving the water balloon, splatting the pony in purple paint! Roaring with laughter, he fell onto his back as he laughed so hard he felt like he was about to bust a gut! Siting up as he tried to regain control over his emotions, he looked past Pinkie and gawked at…a stunned Pinkie who was starting back at him in shock! Wait, if he didn't hit Pinkie with the pie then…who did he hit? Looking up, he immediately recognized the tall, slender form, mane style and…crown.

He had just pied Princess Celestia, and covered her in purple paint!

"Oh shit" he thought to himself in absolute terror, watching as the princess blinked in shock as she tried to register what had just happened. Standing up horrified, he stammered "Ah..ah..princess! AHh, I..it was an accident! I thought you were..I didn't mean to…oh crap" he whispered in horror!

Celestia narrowed her eyes in anger, her horn starting to charge to signify the amount of rage that was building up within her!

Pinkie immediately rushed in front of Jack, hugging him as she proclaimed "It was my fault to your highness! I started this prank war, and I should be the one who gets punished! Please don't punish Jack"! Gulping as the princess ordered the two of them to bow their heads and close their eyes, Pinkie closed her eyes in fear; hoping that whatever punishment the princess would dish out; wasn't going to hurt too much!

A sinister grin appeared on Celestias face as she used her magic to remove the paint and pie custaring from her, as she assaulted the two pranksters with the hilarities, showing she herself had a strong sense of humor. "My my, that's a good look for you two prankers" joked Celestia at the two bewildered friends. Shaking her head, she ordered "I will accept your apology, if you call a truce on this war"!

Looking at each other, the two nodded "Deal"! Shaking each others hands/hooves; Jack sighed as he thought to himself "Thank god! For a sec I thought that I was gonna get thrown into prison for the rest of my life…just one more day till the Gala. I hope tomorrow is not as boring"!

_**Sorry for the abrupt ending, but I needed to end this chapter. Ill post next weeks's chap and then it looks like I'll be entering into summer algebra to try and pass it finally so I can move on with my life. So updates may or may not be slower. I'm still unsure about how it's going to change my plans. Until next week, R&R!**_


	30. Chapter 30

_**Disclaimer: I know that I said I was gonna do another filler chapter before the grand galloping gala, but I decided instead to go about and get right to what you all have been waiting for. So without further ado, here we go!**_

_**Chapter 30: The rise and fall of Jack Conner's **_

"MMmmm" Jack hummed to himself, keeping his face hidden beneath the cowl. Though in all honesty, it was pretty pointless since he was the only human in Canterlot for miles, though his outfit was probably gonna turn some heads cause of how mysterious/badass it looked!

The night of the Grand Galloping Gala was upon him, and here he was traveling alongside the road to the main palace. He had stayed out for the last couple of hours, visiting a pretentious pony called Hoity Toity, asking him to see if he could have one of his designers design a certain outfit for him. He wanted to look his best tonight to impress Rarity since he had no doubt in his mind that she was gonna be going all out herself. He could have simply asked her for help true, but that would have spoiled the surprise!

Looking over the draft sheet he had drawn of the outfit worn by a then young and inexperienced; Ezio Auditore; he smirked before readjusting the cowl of his outfit which was an exact replica; minus the hidden blade of course. Watching as a carriage filled with foals and fillies start to drive by, Jack hopped up onto the front next to the driver. "Can I hitch a ride" he asked casually; fully expecting to be kicked out.

The driver looked like he was about to yell at him, but froze on the spot when he realized who Jack was. "Ahh, of..of course! I was just..ahh..escorting these young ones to their parents at the Gala. I'm certain that they wouldn't mind" smiled the driver weakly, before looking away as if he was unworthy to look at Jack!

Raising a brow, Jack thought to himself "Huh, what was that about"? Any further pondering was cut off as he caught sight of the palace. During the day it was an impressive sight, but once it hit night; the entire palace lit up! Multicolored lights were decorated all over the palace, the most important and diplomatic ponies were lining up and entering one by one as they were given entrance, guards were posted at all entrances! Truly on the night of the Grand Galloping Gala, it looked mighty impressive! Even more so when a firework went off!

Arriving at the palace, Jack thanked the driver as he sighed in bitterness that he had to wait with the other high and mighty ponies before he could get in. No doubt all of his friends were inside, doing their things and probably waiting for him. Rolling his eyes, he blinked at the sound of a few giggling ponies as he cocked his head to notice some mares were giggling in his direction, some blushing at the sight of him. "Gotta be the cowl, it makes me look bad ass" Jack patted himself on the back, smirking in the mares direction as he earned a squee from one or two.

As he turned back to the line, he was stunned to see that the ponies had parted to..let him through? Watching as most seemed pleased, some look displeased that he was being granted entrance before the rest of them. Shrugging, he strode up the stairs towards the Gala, nodding to ponies left and right as he was greeted by Princess Luna!

"Jack! A fine night it is for a Gala, and I must say that your outfit look's very roughish and yet sutibale for this night. Tis an excellent combination" nodded Luna in approval. Pointing to all the ponies, she noted "My sister and I are taking turns greeting the entire guest. It's going to be awhile before I can go back in and resume in the festivities".

"Princess Celestia is already inside huh? Well if that's the case, then Id best be moseying along since I am really looking forward to seeing what exactly this Gala has to offer to me" waved Jack to Luna as he stepped inside, wondering what he would expect to find.

The answer was that it was something that was to be expected! The ballroom was completely packed with ponies left and right! But it seemed that they weren't the only upper class patrons! There were a few zebras, griffons, and a diamond dog or two. So really he had nothing to be worried about feeling like he was the only one of his kind here..even though he was. Stepping inside, he looked around as he wondered where all of his friends were. "I need to track down Rarity" he told himself, wanting to surprise her since it was her dream to meet her prince at the Gala. Well ahh, royalty speaking he was no prince; but he could make that up with his great personality!

Spotting Princess Celestia with Twilights Sparkle chatting it away, he figured it'd be best to surprise her, and the others; he made his way through the thick crowd. "Ack, darn it…oof, watch it" he grumbled as a mare backed into him roughly almost knocking him into the concessions. Smirking lightly at the sight of the food, he held his stomach as it mourned at the loss of their being nothing meaty to eat.

"I miss pizza..wait..pizza is made from bread, and tomatoes make the sauce…they could just make…oh my god, I need to introduce this idea sometime to Equestira. I think they'd really like pizza" he thought eagerly as he picked up a cupcake and started to munch away on it before waving to Twilight.

"Heya Twilight, what's going on" He questioned casually before tossing the rest of the cupcake into the air and down his throat, swallowing it in one shot!

"Jack! Great to see you! Wow, you look really great! It looks really royal, yet at the same time it seems like something I'd wear on…ahh, is it paying homage to somepony you know" Twilight asked as the outfit looked like something a..a..neer-do-well might wear.

"Ahh…back home I was into playing a umm…reading about a character named Ezio Auditore! He was apart of a…group of heroes that kept everyone free to make their own choices and therefore not be oppressed by these guys called Templars; who wanted to rob mankind of freewill, making everyone in the world like them" he tried to simplify. He really didn't feel like telling Twilight that the character was an Assassin.

"Wow! A human who fought to keep freedom of speech, expression, and thought. Sounds like an okay person in my book" praised Twilight.

"Indeed! It is good to see you made it Jack. Hopefully this year's events will be just as fun as last years" Celestia greeted. Noticing Twilight lower her head shyly, she chuckled "Oh you don't think it was a lot of fun Twilight? I thought it was since usually not a lot happens at the Gala, as everypony is just far too worried on making an impression rather than loosening up and having fun. It was good to see something so different"!

Twilight smiled weakly in response to Celestia's observation of last year's Gala. Chucking, she blinked before noticing that a great group of mares were stating at Jack with a mixture of lust/awe "Ahh, as flattering as that is I already have someone in my life" she joked lightly to Jack, teasing him gently.

"Heh, as flattering at that is; I already got someone…speaking of which have you seen Rarity" Jack asked before sweeping his eyes around the Gala to spot the unicorn. You'd think that somepony who loved attention, and loved getting all that attention would be doing something to stand out and look impressive for all to see. "

"Sorry Jack" Twilight apologized profoundly. Looking around, she smiled "Hey, be sure to stop by and check out the others whilst you're looking alright"? Receiving a nod as Jack turned to go and resume his search, she turned back to Celestia as she informed "So I couldn't believe it. You had set me up that one time, making me worry over nothing since you were making the sun set too fast".

Celestia smiled playfully in return. "Well I have to have fun sometimes. Being diplomatic all the time can be abit boring" she responded.

"Well well, I must say that this is a delightful surprise" spoke a dignified voice that seemed to scream years of experience. Turning around to face this speaker, Jack came across a unicorn in his..late twenties, perhaps early thirties! His mane was a crisp light blue, as he had a monocle over one of his eyes as he wore an expensive looking suit. "I say, that outfit of yours is a very unique looking one. Yes, very posh indeed" complimented the unicorn.

Surprised by this unicorns compliment, Jack responded "Ahem..ahh…thank you Mister"?

"Ahh where are my manners. I am Fancy Pants" greeted the unicorn as he shook Jacks hand. Indicating with a free hoof, he spoke "I was just sampling myself to Miss Applejack's most delectable pastries. I'm very certain that you have tried them out yourself" smiled the unicorn as he gestured over to Applejack with a free hoof.

"Ahh, yeah I've tried em a couple of times myself" he smiled in return to the upper class pony, suddenly remembering Fancy Pants. Rarity had mentioned him being a very important unicorn in Canterlot, and that he was the one that was interested in her outfits. For somepony so important, Jack had gone and assumed that he would be nothing more than an arrogant, stuck up, snob. Yet he was pleasantly surprised to find the unicorn was very down to earth, and didn't really talk down to anyone that was lower than him in social class.

"Heya Jack, good to see you made it" smiled Applejack, as she sat behind her stand of apple pastries. It seemed that things were defiantly going much better than before since Appljeack's business was booming! Already she had to sacks of bit's, and was now on her third one. By the Gala's end, she would probably be swimming in bit's!

"Huh, looks good" Jack said softly, as he looked over the food. Glancing up at AJ, he asked "Hey, do you think I could have an apple pie piece". Reaching into his pockets as he got out a bit, he thought to himself "I really shouldn't since IM saving room for desert...but I could compensate by doing some parkour in here". Looking around at all the railings, tables, stands, and other objects he could jump over; he smirked as he pulled his cape closer towards him.

"Looks like things are going well for yah huh" Jack asked, as he started to munch on his pie.

"Uh huh! Why this has probably been the best Gala for me so far" Applejack smiled in return to Jack, before taking his bit and placing it in the new sack. All she had to do now was wait for that to fill up, and she'd have enough to probably hire another ranch hoof or two to help out when Cider season came. They were always running out since they couldn't work fast enough so a few more extra hooves would be appreciated.

"Seen Rarity" Jack questioned as he finished off the pie.

"Uhhh, I think she was heading towards the VIP section of the Gala" AJ spoke as she struggled to remember where Rarity had gone. That had been maybe an hour or so ago; so she couldn't really remember too well. Turning to tell Jack this, she was surprised to see him already gone as Fancy Pants smiled off in the direction where Jack had gone.

"Hmmm, youth. I remember those days well" Fancy Pants nodded in envy.

"Faster, faster..go go go" he screamed within his head as Jack ignored all the gasp, and cries of shock that he was enticing as he slid under tables, vaulted over railings, and climbed up pillars towards the VIP section. He could just walk their yeah, but there would be no fun or challenge in doing that so..nah! He'd rather be energized! Grabbing a rope, he swung from it into the air; going into a front flip as he landed into a roll a few feet away from the VIP section.

Getting up, he dusted himself off casually before turning around to examine to see if he had caused any damage, or problems. Luckily, he was fortunate enough not to have hit anything in his mad dash run! Wow, he really was lucky! At the sound of clapping hooves, he turned to see some of the ponies clapping in praise towards his parkour/free running. Blushing beneath his cowl, he nodded in return to the ponies before approaching the VIP entrance.

Stepping over the rope, he could see a lot of athletes in the area! Just his kinda people..err..ponies. Spotting Rainbow Dash quiet easily, he smirked as he sneaked up behind her and got her in a bear hug! "Sneak attack" he grinned, as he was flipped onto his back! Chuckling as he got up, he smirked "Good to see you Dash".

"Ha! You too Jack! Wicked cool outfit their! What are you supposed to be, some sorta super hero" Rainbow grinned as she questioned her friends appearance. Waving a dismissively hoof, she turned and pointed towards her friends. "Jack, these are the Wonderbolts; Equestrias best flyer's and my friends"!

"Good to meet you Jack, Dash here has spoken highly of you" smiled one of the wonderbolts who approached in the traditional blue outfit, with yellow lightning bolts on the flank and legs. The mare had a orangish, yellow mane and tail as she smirked at Jack with teasing oranige eyes. "Names Spitfire, this here is Soarin" she smirked over at her companion who had a dark blue mane and tail.

"Heya" Jack nodded in greetings as he noticed Spitfire giving him an unusual look. "What" Jack questioned, not liking being stared at.

"Impressive moves back their! For someone who can't fly, you really know how to move fast and agile" complimented Spitfire as she crossed her hooves in amazement. "If you were a Pegasus, then you'd have a shot at joining the Wonderbolts in a heartbeat like Rainbow Dash here" she praised as both Jack and Dash blushed with pride at the compliments.

"Ahh..I wouldn't do so good with following orders since I usually have a hard time obeying authority figures" stammered Jack as he looked over at Dash. "I have to say though, with all these obstacles set up and all over the place. It's really tempting for me to just start jumping around and maneuvering my way around them for laughs, you know what I mean"?

"Heh heh, kinda. Though I think I'd be more looking forward to racing you through this place after the Gala ends tonight. With it being empty, it'll be easy for us to make our way around and through this place. What do you say huh" Dash jested.

"Tch, you should know me well enough to know my answer" grinned Jack as she nodded to the group. "Great talking with you all, but I gotta go and see if I can locate Rarity. I need to find her now" he explained to them. Turning to leave, he called "Hey, I'd look forward to racing you Wonderbolts sometime if you were up for it"!

Spitfire chuckled in response; grinning "Looking forward to it".

"Darn it Rarity, where are you" Jack grumbled to himself, as he wished for a moment that he had Eagle Vision so he could pick Rarity out of a crowd without any difficulty what 'so ever. The problem was that the place was way too tightly packed so spotting anypony that he wanted to see was a challenge in itself. So the chances of him spotting Rarity we're like trying to spot a needle in a haystack! Backing up against a pillar, he decided to try something!

Shimming up the pillar, he sat ontop as he looked around with a better view for any sight of his mare friend. Not seeing her at all, he could spot a group of earth ponies dancing to some rather wacky music over in the corner. Immediately putting the word "wacky" in his mind, he knew which friend was over their! Sliding down the pillar; he quickly made his way through the crowd to get to his friend.

Stepping onto what he assumed was a dance floor, he looked around left and right for the friend he had just spouted. "Hey has anypony here seen Pinkie Piiiiiieeeeeeaaaaahhhhhhh" Jack drowned off as he felt his hands grabbed, as he was pulled into a dance! Spinned around in place, Jack felt like he was about to hurl as he was stopped and pulled in close by an energetic, bouncing Pinkie Pie! "WhooaAAAAa, Pinkie..Calm down! I'm lookiiinnnnne" Jack tried to get out something to say but couldn't!

"WOO HOO! PARRRTAAAAYY ON" Pinkie Pie cheered, completely energized by the soundtrack being played in the background as she wasn't really listening to the world around here. All she was doing was dancing to the beat and pulling in other ponies/humans that she wanted to dance with! Spotting Jack, she wanted to see him dance, so POOF! Here he was dancing!

"Pinkie slow down! I can't move so fa…" Jack tried to protest but was cut off again as he was bumped into by another pony, throwing off whatever it was he was going to say! Turning around to face Pinkie, he opened his mouth to protest but was cut off once more!

"PARTY! PARTY! PARTY" cheered Pinkie Pie as she twirled Jack in place once more, causing him to crash accidentally into one of the stands as he got his head dunked into the fruit bowl! Slowing down to realize what had just happened, Pinkie quickly rushed over to help her friend out of as she smiled sheepishly "Ooops, eh I'm sorry about that Jack. I guess I got too caught up in dancing to notice".

"Uggh, its cool. Looks like you're having fun" commented a worn out Jack as he rubbed his head in exasperation.

"Yup Yup! This is defiantly a lot more fun than it was a last Gala! All the ponies here was so boring, and not wanting to break loose and have fun! Luckily I was able to change that this time around, and get his place really jumping..well at least this part of the Gala, but it's a start right" she questioned Jack lightly.

"Yeah it's a start, listen you seen Rarity" asked Jack tiredly as he just wanted this little charade to end so he could find Rarity, and spend the evening with her. It didn't seem like he was going to get his wish so easily however.

"Hmmm Rarity, Rarity…OOo! I think I saw her heading towards the gardens outside! She wanted to see if her prince would meet her their" informed a teasing Pinkie as she nudged Jack playfully. "You lucky dog! Best not to keep her waiting".

Blushing at the notion of finding her in a very romantic spot, he chuckled "Oh I have no intention of keeping her waiting! Thanks uhh..for the dance! It was really invigorating" he thanked Pinkie before rushing out towards the gardens; wondering when this scavenger hunt would end!

If there was one thing that Jack had to admit, that he was really surprised by how the garden looked at night. The gathering was much smaller, and more secluded than the festivities occurring inside the palace, so this would be the perfect romantic area for him and Rarity to spend the night in each other's company! The crispy, cool air! The crickets chirping away as they created a lovely melody! The beautiful stars that lite up the night sky!

"Everything is absolutely perfect, now if I could only locate Rarity and this night would be the best night of all time" he thought to himself with a grumble, looking around for any sight of the unicorn. Not seeing any sight of her, he was about to turn away and go back inside to hopefully spot her from maybe upstairs; he could hear something. A soft, gentle melody that filled the air and sounded almost..hypnotizing. What was accompanying the sound was the singing of..what sounded like birds.

Following the singing, he could see a large path that led deep into the forest! Following it, he noticed that the singing was getting louder, and louder! More beautiful as time went on! Whoever it was singing defiantly had some talent!

Stepping into a clearing, he was surprised at the large animal gathering! Bears, wolves, foxes, turtles, birds, raccoons, deer, a lot of woodland creatures had gathered from all over the place and we're currently with a..a certain animal looking Pegasus! Chuckling at the sight, he went to approach when he felt something rubbing against his hand. Glancing down, he was surprised to see it a wolf! He was surprised that it would even approach him since wolves were supposed to be territorial or something.

"Heya Fluttershy" he called over, interrupting her singing as he watched her let out an eep of shock! Chuckling at this, he smiled "I can see that you're clearly having a really good night with all that's going on here".

"OH umm..hello Jack, it's really nice to see you" Fluttershy greeted in return, as she gently petted a bear cubs head. Glancing up, she smiled "I'm glad you were able to make you. Y..you look really good in that outfit" she complimented shyly before turning away for a moment. Looking back, she smiled "These are all my friends".

"Ahh..looks like you made yourself busy in befriending the local wildlife. Glad to see that your certainly having some fun" he chuckled as he watched her hum a gentle sonnet alongside one of the birds. Must be really nice to be able to get in tune with nature so easily. Deciding to not beat around the bushes, he asked "Listen, have you seen Rarity? And please tell me that she hasn't just.." he started to say.

"Oh I did see Rarity a few minutes ago actually, she went over towards the statue of umm..ummm..Cupid, the Pegasus of love" she smiled, nodding towards a now shy Jack at having to meet his mare friend at such a location. "I..i hope that whatever happens over there, it goes well between you two. You both make a really good couple" complimented Fluttershy.

"Thanks FLuttershy" Jack nodded in thanks, as he looked away for a moment before grinning. "Hope that the fun you're having with your animal friends here last".

"Thanks Jack" she responded in turn as Jack rushed off to meet Rarity at the statue, eager to finally meet up with her.

"If she isn't here, then I'm just gonna give up" Jack joked to himself as he tried to lighten his mood. He had looked all over this damned Gala for Rarity, and was to be honest at his wits end. The way that this was working was like some sort of side quest! Talk to this pony, find out something, go to the next location! Talk to that pony, find out something else, go to another location! Cept at the end of the side quest, he didn't get any experience points nor did he get any new items!

Stopping for a brief moment, Jack blinked as something flew by him! Must a been a bird from how fast it was..OOF! He was cut off suddenly as he was smacked in the face by a spare branch! Freezing on the spot, he removed the branch as he angrily was about to let his temper loose and burn down the whole forest but halted as he could see something up ahead in the next clearing! Standing next to the Cupid statue, wearing a royal violet gown with a crown on her head with similar colored diamonds in them; was Rarity!

Readjusting his outfit, and making sure his cowl covered his face, he smirked as he strode up towards her; eager to get his hands around her. Sneaking up behind her stealthy, he embraced her in a hug; smirking as she let out an eep. Removing his cowl, he smiled tenderly at her before he leaned into a kiss! Kissing her lovely, quivering lips that..weren't into the kiss at all.

Blinking at this revelation, he backed away slowly from the kiss curiously as he looked over her with concern. She wasn't looking him directly in the eyes, and..she wasn't even trying to hug him back. "Uhh, hey Rarity..whats up" he asked nervously at this, seeing her not even acknowledge him. Posing in his outfit for a moment, he tried to get a reaction as he remarked "Wh..what do ya think huh"?

"It looks..nice…Jack..we need to talk" Rarity stated, and already she could see that Jack wasn't going to like this since this. "We've been together for a while now and I really have come to appreciate your friendship"?

His friendship? Didn't she mean their romantic relationship? What was she talking about? Was she dying, was she going away somewhere? Wait, he had it! "Oh I get it, I accidentally got you pregnant somehow didn't I" he chuckled in a joking manner, as he shrugged "Well what can you expect from someone with kick ass sperm such as myself? It can cross species and…Rarity"? He could see she wasn't laughing, smiling..nothing..she looked completely somber.

"Jack…its over between us" spoke a mournful Rarity, those five words completely shutting down any jocularity building up in Jacks mind.

Staring with his mouth gapped, Jack blinked as he wondered if he had misheard what Rarity said, reality not catching up to him as he felt like he was about to vanish, and disappear right on the spot. Laughing weakly, he responded "Ve..very funny" treating it as a joke, as he knew that there was no way that she could.

"I've fallen for somepony else. It's done…goodbye" Rarity finished without another word as she turn, and left Jack standing there.

Unconsciously, he started to shiver as he felt a mixture of fear, horror, and anger. She..had fallen for someone else? How? Why? But…but he had been loyal this whole! He had..he thought he had been a good boyfriend, always willing to lend an ear and listen to her and her vice versa. How could she fall for someone else? Taking a step forward to follow her, he subconsciously stopped himself. No, he wasn't about to run after her like a love sick puppy. He had his pride… Silently, he turned and walked away stewing in his own anger. Reaching into his pocket, he removed a tiny box. In that box, was the diamond he had this entire time now crafted into a ring that he was going to give to Rarity, to show he wanted to be with her forever and…and now it seemed insignificant as he tossed the ring aside in bitterness.

This turned out to be a rather foolish move on Jacks part as if he had bothered to turn around, he would have noticed that Sid was reemerging from behind some trees as he placed a hand on Rarity's shoulder; snapping her out of whatever daze she was just in as she looked around in complete confusion. "Huh.. what..what happened" she questioned, wondering how she had ended up here in the forest.

Hello Jack! Good to see you Jack! Can I get you're..

"Fuck off" Jack snarled, pushing through the crowd of eager ponies to line up and greet him. Was there any alcohol in this world? Cause he needed some! It was the only way that he would forget about the fact that he had just gotten dumped by little miss…grrr. He just couldn't believe it! How could she dump him like this? After all they had been through, for her to just fall in love with someone else was completely insane…complety…in..sane…

Arriving at the concoctions, he searched for the strongest drink available. Citing some Applecider, he saw too bowls of them. Sniffing the two, he smirked as he found the alcoholic type as he started to chug; eager to get rid of the anger he was feeling. Hearing someone calling his name, he glanced over at the curtains to see a smirking Sid, hiding behind them. Growling low to himself, he slammed the cup down as he trudged over towards Sid; not in the mood for any games or crap from him!

Marching up, he threated "If you're here to bring me on some crazy adventure, you can take that adventure and shove it up your ass because I'm not in the mood".

"Aww, what's a matter wittle Jack? Did Warity hurt your feelings" mocked Sid in baby talk, chuckling at the pissed off look on Jacks face.

"Don't push me man. I don't care if the entire capital of Equestira finds out about you, I will throttle you if you push me" threated Jack, as he stared hard to show that he was intending to keep his promise. As he went to put his hands on Sid, he watched him snap his fingers and appear behind him..in front of everypony! Gasping as he turned to face him, he watched as the ponies started to notice Sid, whispering to each other quietly at the sight of the tacky dressed human.

"Jaaack, Jaaack. So predictable. Trust me when I say that me preforming in front of live audience is exactly what I want. Why, I've been waiting for this event for so long had I performed on any other day; it would have been so so boring" Sid smirked as he turned to the crowd. "Now that I have every ponies attention; I want you all to pay close attention to what I'm about to do because your never gonna see…well actually you will; but I want you to focus because I'm not really up for doing a repeat of this".

Jacks mind was racing with confusion, as he could see that the crowd was really confused themselves, his friends included as Sid revealed himself. What was this going to do to Sid and..and why did he want to reveal himself? He thought that the guy wanted to stay hidden.

"Think about this Jack, I show up when you happen to show up, I take lead you to all these crazy places in search for what? Just some random objects that I happen to want? You should really try using that brain of yours? It helps to think" Sid mocked Jack.

"W..Who are you" Jack stated, completely confused!

"I'm so glad you asked" Sid grinned, as he snapped his fingers and the name: SID CROIDEN; appeared in giant letters! Running his hands through the letters as he removed a few; Sid grinned at the look of sheer shock on Jacks face as the letter's stopped spinning, now spelling:

DISCORD.

With that, "Sid" started to change as he started to grow in height! His limbs became long, and started to resemble that of different animals! His mismatched horns popped into view. His eyes became pure red, as a yellow tint surrounded his white eyes. His body become incredibly slender, now covered in fur. His face morphed into what resembled a billy goat to Jack, as teeth etched into a sinister grin. Opening his mouth, the creature started to chuckle, as his chuckles turned into a powerful cackle!

Jack stood there in place, completely dumbfounded as he stared at the God of Chaos: Discord.

_**LE GASP! DISCORD HAS REVEALED HIMSELF AS SID! PLOT TWISTER! Welp, hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I start algebra classes next week so hopefully I write for next weeks chap. Until then :D**_


	31. Chapter 31

_**Disclaimer: GASP! SID WAS DISCORD ALL ALONG! I know, not that surprising eh? Then again, I made it obvious on purpose since I won't insult the intelligence of my readers ^_^. Though I am curious on what his plan is, let's find out!**_

_**Chapter 31: The rise and fall of Jack Conner's**_

"Heehhehhehehe, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA! You should totally see the look on your face! Priceless, hahahahhaah" cackled Discord as he pointed at the dumbfounded look on Jack's face! Everything in the room seemed to slow to a halt as everypony stopped what they were doing to gawk at the sight of the apparently revived Discord! How he was revived was a mystery to every pony in the room, and quite frankly his appearance sent ponies into a chaotic state of panic!

"What..the..hell" Jack slowly spoke, unable to comprehend what was happening right now. Sid had been replaced by Discord, the god of Chaos who was apparently supposed to still be frozen back at the gardens. Watching as Discord snapped his fingers, the statue from earlier appeared in his claws as he knocked on its head.

"Thi..this isn't possible! We beat you" protested Twilight as she rushed next to Jack, ready to stop Discord if he even so much as blinked! The rest of the mane six fell in line next to Jack, as he locked eyes with Rarity for a moment; anger evident in his eyes as confusion was in hers.

"Really good likeness isn't it? I made him myself. Though he doesn't seem to have the exact same fear of terror I had felt when you six had "stoned" me" smirked Discord sarcastically, as a joint stick appeared in his left paw as his hair grew wild, a headband appearing to hold his hair. "Party ooooon dude" Discord grinned in a mock, hippie stoner voice.

"Discord" shouted an angered Celestia as she flew in front of the gang, Luna following suit. "I don't know how you managed to escape, but rest assured; whatever plan's that you had in mind: they're going to be stopped now" declared Celestia to a rather bored looking Discord, who mocked her by lip synching with her.

"Blah blah blah, you are evil, blah blah, we will stop you, blah. Oh please Celly. As if I haven't heard the hero speech a thousand times already" mocked Discord bored.

"Thou art a fool to mock us! Thy plans shall end now" Luna shouted as she closed her eyes and started to focus her magic, Celestia following suit. The two sister's magic boiled up to a point before being unleashed in a brilliant mixture of cerulean blue, and an pure white as the beams combined and slammed into Discord; getting a shriek of absolute pain from the entity!

"Oh no! Thi..this pain! Its..its unbearable" Discord cried out in fear as he fell to a knee; gripping his chest where the beams burned into! Sinking lower and lower towards the floor; he moaned " is too much! I'm going to die! No! I don't want to die! I'm going to…I'm going to" he droned on in pain as he shook his head rapidly in a spaz attack! How could this be happening to him? He was the god of chaos! How could he possibly compete against the forces of good?

"We have him" Celestia assured in victory!

"Or…Orr…NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT" Discord grinned, as he jumped to his feet and slammed his hands against the beams; slapping them away from himself in an effortless manner! Grinning at the looks of shock on the sister's faces, Discord aimed and blasted the two of them in brilliant beam of green light! When it vanished, the two sisters were trapped in a powerful sphere of light; helpless against its power.

"What trickery is this" Celestia demanded, as she kicked at the sphere, trying desperately to make a crack in it and escape from it! Her attacks were doing zilch, even when Luna got to her hooves and started to help her out by following suit.

"Now now now, no need for that. After all, I think we're all mature here, more or less. But I can't let you two go and escape" Discord chuckled as he approached the barrier. "Did you really think that your little magic tricks would work against someone like me? Ha! You should really give me some credit Celly; after all none of this would have been possible if not for little Jacky over here". Snapping his fingers, he appeared next to Jack as he placed an arm around his shoulder. "Oh yes, all this would not have been possible if not for you buddy! So for that, I thank you" grinned Discord.

"HANDS OFF ME" Jack shouted, as he blasted Discord in the face with a stream of fire, royally pissed off that he had been played! As the stream slowly died down, he gasped in shock at the sight of a virtually unshaved Discord who shrugged off the black soot on his face.

"Such a hot head, then again you fit in really well with the "Spectacular Six" Discord chortled as he snapped his fingers, floating above the group. "Well Ponyville, whilst you panic and run I suppose you're wondering how I'm alive again, and what my plans are. Well-being as how I'm such a nice guy, I'm gonna tell you. I came back because of those two" Discord grinned, pointing to Rarity and Jack. "Surprised? All of this could have been avoided had you two not made your little wishes" Discord smirked.

"What is he talking about" Jack asked Rarity with shock, who looked away ashamed. "For that matter, how could you dump me like that? After everything I did for you, busting my ass just so you could be happy" demanded Jack, as he stomped up towards Rarity in anger.

"Wh..what are you talking about Jack? I didn't dump you..did I? I don't even remember how I…wait..you..YOU MADE ME HURT JACK" Rarity realized, whirling around as she fired a powerful stream of magic from her horn as it slammed into Discord. Turning back to Jack, she immediately through herself into his arms; apologizing profusely "Jack! P..Please Im so sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you! Whatever I had said, I wasn't thinking at all! Discod, he musta..he musta".

"Discord must have caused the slight rift in your little relationship, why? Well, because I was bored and needed a cheap laugh" shrugged Discord as he grinned "But to get back on track, when you two made your little wishes and it brought Jack to ponyville, it opened up a tiny rift across dimensions. I was able to get a brief feel of the city that Jack calls "New York City". Now I was very helpless in that statue, but very much alive".

"That doesn't explain how you were able to get free! Or how you got strong enough to seal up the Princesses" Twilight shouted angrily. She gasped as suddenly her lips zipped up on their own, the zipper jamming to keep her from opening her mouth!

"Im getting to that part, will you please shut it? Anywho, I couldn't very well feed off on any chaos or disorder here in Equestria since there was a great lack of it, and being weakened after our last face off didn't exactly help. But, the rift that let me see New York, I could feel it…and by gods! The chaos! The hatred! The disorder I could feel from New York City! It was like an ice cream shop of chaos, seventy five different flavors of hate! Soo, using New York as a conduit; I started to transfer the hatred I felt from that city and in no time flat, I was free once again"!

Jack couldn't believe what he was hearing! That night he made that wish for love was not only the best, but now the worst night of his life! Because it gave Discord the much needed strength in order for him to break free! He had messed with their relationship for fun, and now was gonna spread his craziness!

"Bu..but wait a minute! That doesn't make sense! You were weakened by us! We. We took you down, and..how are you even stronger then you were last time" gasped a horrified Rainbow Dash as she tried to make sense of this. Watching as Discord continued to laugh at her, this caused her blood to seriously boil as Rainbow Dash hovered into the air before charging at the pompous, stuck up, piece of… Any of her angry thoughts were cut off as Discord reached out and grabbed her by her tail, swinging her around at high speed before throwing her back at her friends; causing her to collide against them!

"Silly ponies! It's true, I was weakened, even after I had escaped from my prison; it was not enough for me to regain my former powers. Soooo, what I did was steal a vial of Heart's desire; wishing for more power than I had ever wanted before and PRESTO! Im practically invincible, even against the great and mighty rulers of Equestria" taunted Discord as he approached the twin sisters holding cage. "It's so satisfying to see the two of you trapped in such a manner. I could freeze you both in statues if I wanted, but where would be the fun in that"?

"Monologues a lot" Jack grumbled.

"And now that there is no pony strong enough to stop me, Equestria is dooooooomed" boasted Discord, throwing his arms him into the air in victory!

"Boast about how great he is" continued Jack.

"Ah…a..and it's true I know what you're thinking, that the Hearts Desires affects are only temporary! That's true, but by the time the effects where off; my regular powers will return and by then..it will already be too late; all of Equestra will be my kingdom once more to do as I please" laughed Discord.

"Aannnnd talking so much to the point where it's a wonder he's not killed in mid speech" Jack grumbled.

"A..Okay, what are you doing" Discord demanded, wanting to know why Jack was constantly interrupting him!

"Oh don't mind me, Im just going over a list on how cliché you are as a villain. Is taking over/destroying the world all you freaks think about? Don't you have anything better to do with your time than try to go for revenge when you know you're gonna be stopped"? As Discord started to say something, he was cut off as Jack shot a fire bolt into his face; cutting him off. "To quote "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: When you gotta shoot, shoot don't talk".

"Oh, how funny" Discord smirked as he snapped his fingers; appearing above Jack as he placed a hand on his head; immediately bringing the human to his knees. "You know, if I wanted to Jack I could wrap your mind just like I did with your friends last time I was here. But what would be the point in beating you" Discord gloated, before bringing Jacks face close to his. "If you didn't know you were beaten" sneered Discord as he shoved him away. "Since this is all essentially your fault anyway" he chuckled".

"That's a lie! Yer just trying to turn us against our friend" protested Applejack, stamping her hoof in anger. Looking back at Jack, she said "Jack aint perfect, and he's made mistakes. But he's learning, and therefore aint some monsters like you are".

"Oh really? Then would you care to hear on why Celestia and Luna were beaten so easily? Or why Jack's fire powers are much stronger than they are supposed to be? Twilight, why don't you try shooting some magic at me? By all means, go ahead" he dared.

Taking the bait, Twilight unleashed a violet beam of light as..it came out a lot stronger than it was supposed to be. "Wh..what" Twilight gawked.

"Oh that's right! Have you finally understood? Spells are much more powerful than they are supposed to be. In fact those twin attacks from the sisters here; we're completely useless against me and yet I could feel the increase in power! Another wonderful factor that's been added to the table, and do you know why? It's because this little boy" Discord started as he pointed an accusing finger at Jack "destroyed the barrier that restricts Equestrias source of magic from using its full potential. It's what keeps us from destroying ourselves" sneered Discord.

At this point, all eyes we're on Jack as his friends stared at him with a mixture of shock, horror and dismay. Jack had..destroyed the barrier? But why did he?

"Jack you..you helped him" Rarity asked, not believing what she was hearing as she looked at the guilt ridden look on Jacks face. Looking over at the grinning Discord, she said "I don't understand, why would you do it Jack? Why would…".

"Oh it's really quiet easy" smirked Discord as he appeared next to Jack, who was staring at his feet silently. "I led him there so in a way, Im the reason he did it. But hey, I wasn't the one who blew it up soooo…yeah, you can totally blame it on this guy here". He jumped back as Jack attempted to punch at him, enjoying the look of pain on Jack's face. "Aww, don't feel too bad; could be worse. You could have an easy influential mind that allows me to make you do whatever I want, when I want…oh wait; YES YOU DO" laughed Discord!

"Wait, what are you talkin..wait" Jack halted for a moment as he looked down; trying to process what he was hearing from Discord. If what the guy was saying was true; than that meant that he had been played this entire time! Every single time that he had said no to Discord, somehow he would end up joining him on some crazy adventure. Then he would go along with it, grumbling to himself on how he had gotten suckered in; never really questioning on how he had even shown up on the..the..so if what Discord was saying…than he had been probably doing so many horrible things that he didn't even realize it!

Wordlessly, Jack reared back and lunged himself at Discord; his fist on fire as he ignored the protest and calls of his friends as he was rather eager to take his fist, and beat them brutally against Discords face. "NO ONE USES ME" he snarled furiously as he lunged at the god! The result was very predictable as Discord jumped up into the air before grabbing Jack by the back of the neck.

"Oh Jack, so predictable. Please, Im in the middle of explaining my evil plan and what I plan to do with this world so if you could do me a favor and sit, that would be great" Discord smiled condescendingly as he patted Jacks head like he would a dog; a powerful force slamming Jack into the ground face first as his friends rushed to his aid.

"Now than, before I go onto what my ultimate scheme is; I would like to tell of another tale that dear old Jack went and helped me with. You know that thing about you helping me steal the Armor of Anarchy; well I just wanted to say thanks for that. I know that I most likely didn't really need it what with me being all powerful already and such, but I really felt that I needed extra insurance in case you figured out how to destroy me. But let's not talk about "what if's" Discord monologue as he watched Jack slam his fist furiously into the ground.

"Darn it, darn it" Jack growled low, wanting to strangle the god for this. Yet another thing that he had fucked up royally on, and now that his friends were going to pay for. Why..why did he have to do this? Destroy everything just for shits and giggles?

"You look abit steamed Jack" Discord smirked as he pointed at Jack. Watching as the human started to change, he grinned "You know, I could alter you right here and make you into my slave. It would be easy for me to do so, but…nah; I think I'll just let you keep trying to kill me. It's much more fun to see you lose".

"You're making a mistake" Jack growled slowly, as he responded "You might have powered up, but so have I..and I'm gonna incinerate you for what you did to me" he promised.

Discord snorted in response, not intimidated at all.

"Soooo now that Im practically invincible, and I have the two royal sisters at my very disposal; I'd say that this is a very good day for me" Discord grinned in delight as he whirled around to face Jack. "And I owe it all to you kid. If you hadn't come here with your Mr. Tough guy attitude, I don't think all of this would have been possible" Discord grinned.

"Possible for what? For you to take over Equestria you meanie" Pinkie shouted angrily, a side of her she almost never showed.

Discord blinked as he let out a snort of laughter. "Take over Equestria? Ha ha ha! Oh please, like I would do that again. Besides, what would be the point in taking over something that's already mine to begin" grinned Discord as he addressed the crowd. "Look outside, and take a look at your logic Canterlot". Watching as the crowd glanced out the windows, he grinned lightly at their gasp of horror.

Outside, the entire world had gone nutso! The sky was a mixture of different colors, as the clouds rained root beer! The water started to bubble and shake before flying up out of the ground, and into the sky; the river now flowing through the sky. Houses started to tip over, change shape, vanish, change colors as bushes came to life and started to chase ponies! But it wasn't just the environment that was being affected, the ponies were as well. Some of the ponies changed form, lost their wings, became part of the craziness! One pony started to giggle high and loud before he transformed into a dragon! Another one's eyes were going crazy as he laid on his back, drinking the root beer rain as his belly got bigger.

"Ahh Chaos, such a wonderful thing isn't it" grinned Discord as he let out a deep chortle. "Now that he's world has gone nuts, I do believe I shall need my assistances" grinned Discord, as he snapped his fingers. A violet mare with a long straight mane, and the cutie mark of a baseball appeared next to Discord; struggling in the air. "Ahh hello Melody" grinned Discord.

"Let me go! Put me down right no…uhhhhh" Melody was cut off as Discord altered her mind. Her eyes went all wonky, and swirly as they went out of alignment. Her mane went from straight to extremely messy, and disorganized. A propeller cap appeared on her mane as her tail went crazy as well. Slowly, Melody started to giggle in a silly manner as she ran a hoof through her lips; crazily.

"Or should I say Screwball? Would you please be a dear and got get my Screwloose" Discord asked his "daughter" kindly. Receiving a nod, the pony activated her cap as she slowly flew through his air and out the door. Nodding in glee at this, Discord turned back to the mane six. "So, I've done it. I've turned Equstria into my own little, demented playground. But, Im not going to stay here though. There's another world out in another dimension that deserves my attention". Snapping his fingers, a portal appeared; showing what looked like New York City!

"New York…your plan was New York" Jack demanded, horrified at the notion of Discord ending up in Manhattan. If he went to the human world and spreaded the chaos there, who knew what would happen! This world was filled with magic all the time, and therefore much more used to it probably., But in Jacks world, there was no magic! If magic entered into his world, it could…split the planet in two or something; he didn't know what would happen but it would not be good!

"But you see, if I leave here, than who will be left behind to keep the chaotic order in line" Discord asked aloud, as if it was a serious dilemma. Grinning lightly in response, he turned back to face the others as he responded "I think I have a solution to my problem however". As he approached the bubble that held Celestia, and Luna; he grinned "Do you have any final words"?

"We will not beg for our lives, nor will we give up" shouted Celestia.

"Thou art a monster, and shall be put in thine place" Lune agreed.

"That's the sprit, never give up" nodded Discord in agreement. Turning his back on the sisters, Discord slowly smirked "Unfortunately for you two, I have big plans in mind. You won't be begging for your lives, oh no. But perhaps you'll be begging to join in the fun". Before the two could even respond, Discord stuck his hands through the bubble as he gripped Celestia and Luna's heads. Chuckling as he watched the two of them struggle, and kick for freedom; he shook his head. "I'm afraid that won't do you any good, especially with what comes next". A surge of power transferred through his arms into his hands; as the power vanished into Luna and Celestia. Letting go, he grinned as he watched in amusement.

Celestia groaned as she held her head in what looked like pain. Groaning slowly, she rubbed her head furiously as if she was trying to get something out of it. Slowly, she started to laugh. Not laughter filled with warmth and comfort, but a laughter that sounded pretty..nutty. Her crown changed form into what looked like a pink, balloon made crown as her eyes started to shoot up and down widely.

Luna gasped in terror at the sight of her sister gone batty, as she reached out to her with a hoof to try and help her. Yet as she did so, she felt the same pain that her sister was currently experiencing. Rubbing her head; she let out a cry of pain as it slowly turned into a high pitched giggle. In a flash, a pair of goggle glasses appeared on her real eyes; blocking them. Looking left and right, she opened her mouth and instead of speaking something intelligent; all that came out was "MEEP MEEP".

"I dub thee, Cuckoo Celestia, and Looney Luna. Your orders are simple: spread the chaotic silliness to all of Equestriia, and please do keep things crazy for me whilst Im gone in New York" Discord requested kindly.

"Uhhhh, Yup yup! You can count on us boss" Celestia blurted out in an inane blubber! The sight of their leaders in a state of stupidity, and craziness sent the crowd into a panicked frenzy as they started to run left and right for cover; eager to get out of this place!

"Princess Celestia, what happened? Why are you" Twilight tried to get out as she rushed towards her mentor and friend, horrified at the events that were taking place. As she was about to reach her, she saw Celestia open her hooves up as if she was about to hug Twilight. Just as Twilight was about to reach her, but was yanked back by Dash as another pony ended up getting hugged by accident! Twilight watched in horror as the unfortunate pony became another victim of the anarchy in being nutty!

"Sister, get to cover! We'll take care of this" Shining Armor shouted as he rushed in front of the group with the guards. Not wanting to take a shot at his leader and hurt her, he insisted to the guards "S…stun her, don't hurt her. We have to try and bring her back to her senses" he ordered his troops. Powering up his horn, he was than zapped by Celestias horn as he became silent. Bursting into tears, Shining complained "Oh what's the use? We can't possibly stand against Discord, we can't do anything! Why did he have to wreck Equestria? Bwaaaaaaaaah" as he busted into tears.

"Hold tight my love, I shall…AIIIIIE" Cadence was cut off as Luna snuck up behind her, zapping her with her horn. Blinking a few times, Cadence looked left and right as she furrowed her brows. "Pfft, parties, celebrations, spreading love and joy. What a load…I can't even begin to figure out what was wrong with me to think that I even wanted to do such a thing this entire time" groaned Cadence as she shot a glare at everypony.

"Oh mah! The princesses are using the same powers that Discord used on us" Applejack gasped, horrified as she remembered being wrapped from a pony of decency's and always being truthful; to a no good, lying snake!

Jack gasped as he watched Discord snap his fingers, a king's crown appearing on his head as he thought "Why isn't the chaos affecting us? Is Discord leaving us alone because he has plans or something"? Thinking about it, he lowered his head in misery as he grumbled "Probably wants to leave us alive so he can gloat about his victory to my face…I can't believe it, how could I have not seen this? New guy in town, happens to befriend another human just like him and it turns out you've been helping this freak from the start. Falling to his knees, he pounded his fist in anger. "Damn you, damn you" he swore to himself. Feeling someone touch his shoulder, he looked back to see a concerned Rarity. "Im sorry" he spoke softly in sorrow.

"Sorry? What are you so.." Rarity asked concerned.

"It's my fault. He's been playing us all from the very start, and I helped him. If I had known, if I had actually grown a brain than I wouldn't have…he wouldn't have..". He was silenced as Rarity pulled him into a hug. Hugging her back, he apologized "Im sorry, I shouldn't have been mad at..I didn't know he had…".

"Shh, don't apologize Jack. This ruffian used us both, therefore; he must pay" Rarity spoke softly, helping Jack to his feet. Turning to face Discord, she shouted "You might have ruined Equestria, and turned it into your own demented playground, but we're still here; and we are going to stop you".

"Why didn't you..change us like you did everypony else" Fluttershy requested.

"Pfft, easy. I wanted to leave you all alive to suffer knowing that I have beaten you and that there's nothing you can do too change that" chuckled Discord in return. Letting out a yawn, he spoke "Well, as much fun as it is making fun of you all; I think I'm going to check out this "Manhattan" for myself. Who knows, the humans may be just as amusing as you were Jack". Snapping his fingers, a vortex of swirling light appeared behind Discord; the image of New York appearing. "You can stay here ooooor..you can try and stop me. Choice is yours, either way; Im gone". Letting out a laugh, he fell backwards into the portal; vanishing in its light.

Getting up, Jack glared at the portal in disgust. All of this was his fault..and he wasn't one to let things go. Discord came in the name of friendship, using him all the way and making a fool out of him. He had taken over his new home, and had gone and hurt his friends. He was gonna pay. Turning to face the others, he spoke "You all know what needs to be done right"?

"I'd say it's obvious" Rainbow Dash growled as she flew next to Jack. Seeing the guilty look in his eye, she smiled "Hey, don't worry about what happened. We're still pals. Discord isn't gonna get away with what he did".

"Yah! That big meanie might have come and made all of Equestria go "insane in the membrane" but that doesn't mean that's he gonna get away with it" Pinkie insisted as she bounced next to the two.

"Ah reckon the lout is gunna be eatin some hooves before the nights over, least that's what Im gonna make sure what happens after Im done with him" Applejack promised as she stepped up next to Jack. "We're with yah Jack" she smiled.

"Umm, I don't know who he's fooling. I mean, he comes here and starts running everything just so he can laugh at us…laugh at..the pain, the horror he's causing. Making my friends feel awful! I SWEAR HE'S GONNA..umm..pay" Fluttershy smiled weakly as she joined the others.

"I..i don't want to leave" Twilight admitted, surprising her friends as she glanced up seriously to look them in the eyes. "I don't want to with the princesses in such a horrible state, and yet I know what has to be done so for the sake of Equestria; yes I will help" she smiled.

"Discord has been messing with us this entire time. He went and broke up our relationship just for his own entertainment. He will pay for everything he has done to us" Rarity spoke softly as she pulled Jack into a hug. "Whatever happens, we're all in this together and we won't let you down Jack".

"Thank you…all right than, lets show that asshole what happens when he messes with Equestria" smirked Jack as he turned towards the portal. Slowly raising his arms up into the air, he closed his eyes as he lunged into the portal.

_**Done. It was rough, but I was able to get the chapter up. Well, algebra is going surprisingly well so far and I am very pleased with this. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I'll see you all next week **___


	32. Authors note

_**Author's note: Forgive me readers, this week I wont be updating. Apart from suffering from writers block due to lack of an idea, and the stress of a crap load of algebra homework, Ill be updateing next week. Again, I am sorry. If anyone has an idea that they could throw in for what could happen to the gang in the chaotic New York City, then Im all ears.**_


	33. Chapter 33

_**Disclaimer: GASP! SID WAS DISCORD ALL ALONG! I know, not that surprising eh? Then again, I made it obvious on purpose since I won't insult the intelligence of my readers ^_^. Though I am curious on what his plan is, let's find out!**_

_**Update: I apologize for the delay for last week, but due to suffering from writers block/overwhelmed by life; I was delayed. But im back. Special thanks: Both Guest's, nomcery745, Ryder MLP, USMC2015, Broad Meadow, Freewing Alchemist and Hamsterjellyman for the ideas as I will see to they are implement in one way or another.**_

_**Chapter 32: The rotten apple part 1**_

"Oof, well that wasn't too baaaACK! OOF!

Jack landed roughly outside of the portal, as he sat up scratching his head as he tried to recollect these thoughts. He didn't get very long to do so since the entire mane six came falling out after him, landing on the human and crushing him beneath their combined weight. "S..so heavy" Jack managed to get out, as he struggled to move and yet this proved futile. Shooing a glare up at the group, he remarked "As much fun as this is, can you all do me a favor and get off of me"?

"Whoops, sorry Jack" Pinkie giggled, trying to keep in good spirits even in a serious situation.

As everypony got off Jack, he glanced around to see where they were. Dirty mattress, heating systems, smudged windo.,.."This is where I lived" Jack spoke softly, as he realized he was back in the home where he had been forced to live with his abusive foster dad. Glancing at the ponies who were looking around Jacks old room, no doubt having a billion questions; he decided to settle it by stating "Look, what happened to me here was unfortunate; but I really don't want to talk about it please".

"Woo, what a place" Rainbow Dash nodded as she slowly looked around in wonder. Throwing a look at Jack, she asked "Soo tell me Jack, are all human homes different; or do the..err…yeah okay" she smiled weakly as she noticed the look he was giving her.

Gazing at the window, he noticed the shade was down. Unraveling it, he stared out in a mixture of horror and wonder at the "New" New York city.

It was like a demented version of Candyland on LSD! Skyscraper had been replaced by large sugary trees like popsicles sticks. The cars driving around were running on..cream! The sky was a mixture of pink, with snow falling up into the sky, rather than down from it. The street lights were shooting out beams that were morphing people into silly/demented versions of themselves. Bottom-line: New York City was seriously fucked up!

"Huh…you know, somehow I thought that things would be a lot worse" Jack grumbled as he stared out at the crazy city!

"What do you mean by that Jack" Twilight asked curiously. Looking out in awe at the city, she wondered to herself what it looked like before it was heavily altered by Discord's insane little mind. Being as how this was called "Manhattan" she figured it was very similar to Manehattan back home.

"I was sorta expecting something like..i dunno, a post apocalyptic world. Like the entire city was on fire, or zombies walking all over the place. Usually in the games I played, that's how these situations turned out. Glad Discord isn't going that route" he sighed.

"Well, what we need to figure out next is where Discord is? Maybe once we find him, we can figure out a way too" Rarity started, but was cut off by Dash.

"Are you kidding me? Discord is holding all the cards right now! He's stronger, more powerful and is ready for us! I'm not saying that I don't want to take him down; but when we do find him; what exactly are we going to do" Twilight Sparkle demanded, upset about what she was hearing.

"Easy" Rainbow Dash snorted as she rolled her eyes at the obvious question. "We find Discord, and we give him a good old fashion trashing" Rainbow Dash snapped, eager to find Discord and dish out some pain and judgment towards him for everything he had done.

"Ah can compare to yah Dash! I wanna find Discord, and make him pay. And yet that ah know it's pointless for us to go charging in without any sort of plan. What we should do is keep away for now, at least till we figure out some sort of plan" AJ responded softly, as she tried to keep her friends from losing their cool.

"All this shouting isn't helping any of us" Rarity informed, staring out over Manhattan. She couldn't help but wonder about this city. What sort of places, and amazing attractions it had to offer. She wondered what it had been like when it wasn't completely in nutty vile. "What we need is a plan on what to do? Discord is more powerful than before, but he has to..too..". Looking over at Jack, was still staring out the window, she asked "Jack"?

Jack didn't answer right away ,feelings of dread and…angry racing through his mind. Apart of him was still blaming himself for everything that had gone wrong. The fact that things had gotten so bad to the point where…where everything had gone to shit made Jack feel awful. Yet at the same time, he felt nothing but disquiet. Glaring at the city, he thought to himself "You…you did this to my city…I don't like New York, it never did me any favor. But watching an interdimensional being..mess with..with a city of mine and having so much fun..pissed him off".

Turning to the others, Jack spoke bluntly "He's got a weakness. Everything does. What we need to do it exploit it and..well, I think I got a pretty good idea how to do so".

"You know his weakness" Twilight asked in a tone, that she implied skeptism.

"I got an idea" Jack snorted as he said softly "The heart's desire thing that he drunk that gave him his power? That's only temporary right" Jack questioned Applejack. Receiving a nod, he nodded back "Alright, alright. How long is it supposed to last".

"Uhhh, their aint really a..a time limit on how long it last" Applejack admitted in what seemed like awakardkness.

"Ahh, I see" Jack sighed angrily, wishing he had gotten a clearer answer. Looking at her, he spoke "Okay than, what we should do next then is get that armor that he's got away from him; it's what gives him more power and..well, we're all a lot stronger right or..or wait a sec". Looking up, he grinned slowly "Wait, we're in a world that…that doesn't have any magic so..so hes gonna be a lot weaker here maybe"! Looking out the window at the chaotic New York, he spoke "Well, it's probably just New York that's like this and not the whole world so…we might have a chance".

"But wouldn't that make us weaker too" Twilight brought up, as she tried to be logic about this.

"I don't know! I'm just guessing here" sighed an aggravated Jack as he looked away. "For all we know, we could be wrong and hes a lot stronger here than he was in Equestria. If that's the case, than we're probably screwed" admitted Jack.

"Screwed? How can you say that" Rarity gawked at Jacks attitude. Blinking, she became quiet as she noticed Jacks depressed look, knowing he musta felt awful for everything.

"Screwed, or not screwed; we gotta try right" Jack asked the others, as he looked for an answer.

Pinkie approached as she said "Oh we'll try, but you need to stop being mister grumpy pants". Watching Jack look angry at the boldness she showed, she smiled "Jack, what happened wasn't your fault, and none of us here blame you. You're putting all this stress, and anger on yourself, making yourself feel awful. You're our friend, and if your gonna help us; you need to be strong and..forgive yourself".

"Forgive myself" Jack repeated, stunned that he was hearing this speech from Pinkie Pie of all ponies.

"Jack" Pinkie spoke softly, as she reached up and placed a hoof against his chest. "Ever since you came here to Ponyville, you've felt that the need to constantly prove yourself, and your worth and well..at first it was acceptable since none of the other ponies really trusted you yet. But then you became abit of a local legend or hero and when things went down with Discord, you've had this look in your eye this whole time; I can tell that what you're feeling" Pinkie explained.

"Heh, yeah? And what is it that I am feeling" Jack snorted, looking away.

"That your no better than Discord since you've been unknowing helping him" Pinkie spoke bluntly, in a voice devoid of any cheer. "And in a way, you are a lot alike him. Cocky, outspoken, and sarcastic..but do you know what the difference between you and him is" she asked? When he gave no answer, she removed her hoof before smiling "You have friends, he doesn't..friends who understand and therefore don't judge you because of some mistakes..so please…smile huh"?

Being silent for a moment, Jack wallowed his in own thoughts as he glanced at his feet for a moment as he ran a hand silently through his hair. "I knew..somehow I knew all along and yet, he did something that kept me from..acting. I suppose you guys know what that's like right" Jack asked slowly, getting a nod from them all. They had plenty of experience of being..manipulated by the chaotic god.

Staring away, he looked up as he spoke "You know…this is actually gonna sound crazy. I hate him..for what's hes done to Equestria, and towards New York…yet, I feel sorry for him in away". Hearing verbal gasp from his friends, he laughed weakly "I know, sounds nuts huh? Who could be sorry for someone who has no powers like him, can do whatever he wants and doesn't care about anything but himself..its kinda sad when you think about it".

Turning back towards his friends, he remarked "But I'm not gonna let how I feel, stop me from doing what needs to do done so…let's find Discord" he paused before he smirked "And give it to him good"! Turning back towards the window, he raised a boot and kicked through the glass as he was surprised to see it..float up into the air. Peeking out the window, Jack remarked "Ahh. Its smells like cotton candy instead of urinated piss..this isn't the New York I remember".

As the gang climbed out, they slowly made their way down the fire escape as the stairs suddenly gave away and became metal slides; water running down behind them! "Whoa whoa" Twilight shouted in shock at the unexpected slippery slide! Surprisingly, it didn't hurt to slip and slide all the way down the fire escape…but it did hurt when they ended up belly flopping into a..clean dumpster filled with…ramen soup?

Climbing out of the dumpster, Applejack shook rapidly to get the soup off of her fur. "Dang Discord, he sure has a weird sense of humor" she grumbled.

"Ah, thanks AJ. You just got some of that in my eye" Rainbow Dash as she wiped her head in annoyance. Looking up, she smirked "It's no big deal. I can just fly up and spot Discord easily". Bending down, she went to fly up into the air and yet gravity had other plans for her as she was pushed back down by an unknown force, straight into the ramen pool again!

"What, you can't fly? Are you serious" Jack grumbled in annoyance as he pulled Dash out of the disgusting dumpster of ramen, a look of absolute disgust on his face! Either they were all being grounded in this universe, or something had been put up to prevent them from fighting back…that was real fair. "Hey Yo, Discord" Jack called out, deciding to call his name. "You've already got all the cards, so why take away what we can do huh? Wont that make it abit too easy"?

A low cackle echoed through the air, a powerful wind slowly surrounding the ganga as they all got backed up against each other to keep an eye on where Discord would appear. It proved useless as Discord popped out of the middle, pushing them all apart as he floated above them. "Ha ha ha! I'm not surprised you all followed me here, especially you Jack since you claim that you want to "kick my ass" chuckled Discord in bemusement. Pointing out towards New York, he smiled "Magnificent, don't you agree"?

"Not really, I preferred a city covered in pollution, and assholes; rather than a city covered in…are this maple syrup" Jack pointed at one the small ponds that were filled with a dark liquid. Shaking his head, he crossed his arms "So, what now"?

Staring in confusion for a moment, Discord asked "What do you mean"?

Feeling bold as she wanted to say what was on Jacks mind, Rarity explained "Is this where you're going to go into a speech on how you've won? How this is the way the world is supposed to be? "Yay chaos, Boo order? Or maybe you're going to go into a speech on how great you are"? Hearing some of her friend's chuckle, she couldn't help but smile in return. She was no master of smart ass talking like Jack, but she could pick up a few things.

"Oh how very droll. Please, as if I'm expecting to hear" Your evil Discord, you won't win Discord". I have news for you sister: I already have won, but I think I will humor you by giving you at least a fighting chance to stop me, you're gonna need it" snorted Discord, snapping his fingers as he gave back flight and magic.

"Good, this will make it much easier for us to.."Twilight started to speak but gasped when a zipper appeared next to her mouth, and "zipped" her mouth shut! Gasping, she tugged at the zipper to get it open; but this just made it tighter.

"I do hate to be interrupted" Discord snorted at Twilights distress. Turning to the entire group, he grinned "Do you see that building over their" grinned Discord as he pointed at the Metalife building in the distance. "I'll be waiting there for the rest of you to try and stop me! That is, if you can reach it and don't worry dear ponies, I won't be wrapping your little minds…at least not until after you realize that you've lost" Discord smirked, licking his lips as he lazily laid on his back.

Turning back to Jack, he grinned "Now dear Jack, I do believe that before you came to Equestria, you went and pissed off some people that are simply dying to see you again. Needless to say, they've gone through a few…changes since you last saw them. Have fun with your little reunion" grinned Discord as he snapped his fingers, vanishing as he cackled all the way.

"Jack? Whut's he talkin bout" AJ questioned as she knew that Jack had dun some less than questionable thangs, but…

"Ahh, well I umm…before I came to equestira, I..i stole from some gangsters something valuable of theirs" laughed Jack weakly, as he scratched the back of his head nervously as his friends expected reactions attacked him in ways like "what, why would you do? "Ya'll stole from gangsters, I thought you were better than this"? Things like that. Waving his hands in defense, he spoke "I was different at the time alright, you can't blame me for that"!

Before Jack could protest any further however, he was cut off as suddenly from the shadows emerged what appeared to be men and yet were…were not men! They all appeared to be a group of..of..anthromorphic beings? It was true, as they still wore the same gangster clothes that they were wearing before. Slowly, the gang started to surround the group as wolves, jaguars, and foxes were being led by..what appeared to be an anthromorphic weasel! Locking eyes with the weasel, Jack blinked as he muttered "Oh my god…" as he realized that this weasel was Chen, the same leader he had gone and pissed off.

"Well, well. What have we here boys, the same filthy cur that dared to steal from Chen? Oh and look, hes brought a couple of his friends. This suddenly makes much more sense on how weak he is, since he's finds company in those that are weak" sneered Chen, as he readjusted his glasses slowly, his face tinting into a sarcastic grin.

"Weak? ILL SHOW YOU WEAK" Rainbow Dash shouted as she was about to charge Chen, but was held back by her friends.

"I don't know how what happened to New York City happened, but I do know this: This Discord is my kind of guy, especially since he provided us with a few upgrades"! Removing his pistol, he aimed it up high into the air before pulling the trigger! A powerful beam of energy shot from it, as it flew into the sky. "He turned our mere guns into laser guns, and therefore giving me more than is necessary in order to kill you" grinned Chen as he aimed directly at Jacks chest.

"Ha! I think you're gonna find that I'm not that easy to kill" snorted Jack as he glanced at his friends slowly. "Sides, you have no idea what your about to mess with. But I think I'll let you find out the hard way. SCATTER" Jack shouted as he broke off from the group, the fighting beginning!

Twilight gasped, jumping back as she dodged and avoided being shot at by one of the wolf henchmen! Wondering if her magic had any affect against the laser, she focused her energy and fired at the laser, watching in a mixture of awe and shock as when the magic connected; it cause a tiny explosion that threw Twilight back as she landed on her back! Looking up dizzily, her eyes widened in terror as a shotgun wielding henchmen was about to blast her! Closing her eyes, she heard a grunt of pain as she opened them to see.

Applejack having kicked away the thug as hard as she could, as she sent him colliding into the wall! Smirking cockily, she glanced down at her hooves in pride as she remarked "Welp, still as strong as ever. Glad to see that..WHOaaa" AJ gasped as suddenly she was bear hugged from behind by a rather large jaguar. "Let go of me" AJ growled as she kicked and struggled for freedom against the powerful bear hug. Seeing as how it wasn't working, she moved her head forward before throwing it back; ramming the back of her head into the jaguar's nose, breaking it! Smirking as she was dropped, she whirled around as she then heat butted his stomach!

"Alrighty, let's get this going" Pinkie giggled as she her Pinkie sense served her very well, allowing her to dodge left and right of his attacks!

"You stupid little pony! Stop dodging and let me punch yah" snarled the henchmen, wondering on why he was not able to punch at the pony. Swinging with brass knuckles, as he aimed straight for her nuzzle, he watched as the pink whirlwind of energy ducked down low and avoided having her block punched off, as his fist slammed into a wall; jamming it in it. Grunting, at this as he tried to yank his fist out; he heard the sound of…wait, what?

Pinkie grinned as the jerk turned around, as she found himself staring at a small, party sized cannon; the fuse lite as it was eager and ready to go off and have a blast! Literally! "Heh heh, you can't have a party without a party cannon" grinned Pinkie as she pulled the cord on the back of the cannon. A spew of party supplies, including balloons, paper matche, and other party supplies slammed into the henchmen as it sent him flying through the wall; leaving an imprint on where he had appeared.

"And what can you do little pony" laughed a wolf, as he approached Fluttershy who was slowly backing up against the wall in fear. Grinning at how easy that this was going to be, he paused as he felt his foot connect with what appeared to be a raccoon having crawled is way in between her and him. Snarling, he kicked it harshly aside as he snarled "Scram ya little pe…what are you looking at"?

Fluttershy became silent as she caught the raccoon, stroking it gently as her eyes slowly looked up to reveal an absolutely pissed off glare! "You…you can hurt me, insult me, make fun of me..but you do NOT HURT ANIMALS WHEN IM AROUND" roared Fluttershy, transforming into Flutterpissed. Leaping into the air, she wrapped her legs around the jerks neck, surprising him as she slammed him into the ground; face first. Picking him up by his legs, she started to spin him around faster, faster, and faster until he became a blur before tossing him into a dumpster, the lid slamming ontop of him!

Huffing angrily at this, Fluttershy stomped towards the dumpster as she through open the lid, and dove inside; slamming the lid shut. Silence followed for a moment, followed by the sound of random punches and kicks being laid against the thug who was now regretting having pissing off this peace loving Pegasus!

The thug started to slowly crawl out from the lid, as Fluttershy leaped out and dragged him back in, the thug screaming the entire way as the lid slammed shut again!

Watching the exchange for a moment, Jack commented in a scared tone "Hell hath no fury like Fluttershy pissed off".

Taking his eyes off of Chen was a mistake as Jack felt his jaw almost fly off from how hard he had been punched as he backed away from the weasel in shock. Rubbing his jaw, he turned to face Chen but was cut off as he was then tackled to the ground by the gang leader, grunting as he slid harshly against the ground. Glancing up in shock, anything he had to say was cut off as he started to get punched rapidly in the face, cut off by the ferocity by the gang leader.

"Ha ha ha! What's wrong boy? You were so cocky before in stealing from me, so arrogant and full of yourself. Now here you are, completely at my mercy and unable to fight ba…AGHHH" cried out Chen as he held his eyes in pain, being forced off Jack as he gripped at his eyes.

Jack sat up, his hands burning as he had scorched and burned Chen's eyes, temporarily blinding him. Getting to his feet as he ignored the fighting that was going on all around him, Jack snorted as he heard Chen scream how he had cheated. "Uhh, hello? This is a fight to the death, and in a fight to the death; there are no rules".

"Good! Then you won't mind if I do this" Chen grinned as he sniffed the air, using his heightened animals senses to track down where Jack was. Finding him, he took out a powerful switchblade as he waved it dangerously in Jacks direction. "Now please, do me a favor and DIE! I'm going to rip you limb from limb! YOU WILL KNOW PAIN!" snarled Chen, as he charged at Jack!

Leaning back as he could feel the wind rush of the knife soar just barely past his nose, Jack brought down a powerful back fist to the back of Chens neck, watching with satisfaction as the leader collapsed face first into the gravel. Whirling around to face Chen, Jack smirked as he snapped his fingers and placed them to his ears as he commented "What's that? I think you said something abot going to kick my ass, rip me apart or something? Please, I don't speak bullshit".

"Do you speak pain" Chen questioned, as he rose to life incredibly fast, slamming his head into Jacks chin as he got to his feet. Turning to face the human, he sighed "Now, where were we" as he started to slash and swipe at Jack, forcing him backwards! The longer he slashed, the angrier he got as Jack continued to dodge, block his arms, or shove them away whenever he got close to slashing the boy! Going for a lunge, he gasped as the boy leap frogged over his back, messing with him! "DON'T YOU MOCK ME" snarled Chen, as he whirled around and slash at Jacks chest.

Backing away from the pissed off weasel, Jack felt something warm drip down his chest as he glanced down to see a clean slash having gone through his shirt as an incredibly thin trail of blood sweeped down. Shivering at the sight of it, He thought "Huh, guess hes getting abit better".

"C'mere cowgirl" shouted a rhino anthro, charging at the earthpony as he brought up his hands and gripped her hooves as the two started to grapple one another. Grunting angrily as he started to push Applejack back, he laughed cruelly, positive that his victory was assured. He got the surprise of his life when AJ started to push him back, faster and faster before she ended up lifting him up over her head. "What the heeeeeellllll" echoed the henchmen as he tossed up and mule kicked into the sky.

"Best not tuh get into a strength contest with a gal who bucks everyday" AJ smirked, as she tipped her hat in the henchmens direction. Turning around to spot Rainbow Dash dogging, and ducking under the speed and agility of some of the jaguar henchmen, AJ shouted "Hold tight Rainbow, Ima comin" as she galloped before leaping into the air, slamming them into the ground as she..sent a shock wave towards on of the jaguars, the ground breaking apart as it slammed into one of them. "Wh..whoa. I didn't know I could do that here" AJ stated in awe.

"Pfft, is this the best you can do? I've hardly broken a sweat here" laughed Rainbow Dash as she continued to lazily dodge any attacks that were thrown her away. Gasping as laser shots were fired her way, she glowered at the two wolves that had tried to clip her wings. "Oh you're so gonna pay for that" Dash swore, dive-bombing down towards them ! Flying beneath the legs of one of the wolves, she grabbed him by the back of his shirt before tossing him into his buddy! "Booyah! That's right, you can't teach this" Dashy hooted, as she started to moonwalk in midair before remembering where she was as the fight continued.

"Ha, I would love to see what you can do girly" snorted a particularly buffed up fox, cracking his knuckles as he approached Rarity who he had backed up into a corner. "You don't look that strong, and from what I heard from Discord; you don't exactly like fighting. So tell me, what exactly can some diva like yourself do to a guy like me huh".

Rarity however wasn't afraid at all, as she smirked to herself "Well, I can think of a few things of what I can do to you actually. Firstly, I must say that muscle shirt..tackiest thing I've ever seen". Watching as the thug looked down at his shirt in confusion, she zapped it with her horn as she turned it into a pink tupetop.

"ACK! WHAT THE" shouted the thug as he stared down in absolute horror as his good black tanktop had been replaced by an incredibly looking frilly pink tubetop. Covering himself in embarrassment, he glared daggers at the smirking unicorn, as he suddenly pictured his hands around her neck! "Y..ou" he snarled angrily at her.

"Oh no no no, that isn't good enough. The tubetop looks quiet exotic on you, but I think it would look so much better if it had a nice frilly skirt, hmmm..what color though..oh! How about light violet" Rarity chuckled playfully as she zapped his pants, watching as his pants turned into a skirt, sparkling and shinning! "Oo that's so lovely, but hmmmm…". Watching as the thug started to sneak away, an evil grin appeared on her face as she reached behind her back and took out what appeared to be more designer clothes. "Oh no, you're not going annnnywhere" she laughed evilly, tackling the thug behind a dumpster as she gave him a wardrobe!

Backing up in pain, Jack gripped at his chest as he grumbled to himself incoherently, running a hand through his hair as he tried to think up a plan. With the amount of blood that was sweeping through his hand, he wondered to himself how long he could stay awake since it felt like he was bleeding really damn fast! If he didn't watch it, he would pass out from blood loss and be at Chen's mercy. "In that case, I gotta finish this now" he said softly, as he started to make his way towards Chen. Ducking under a knife through at his neck, he brought up a powerful round house kick to the side of Chens head, as he decided screw fighting fair.

Chen growled as he reached up to gut Jack, but cried out in pain when Jack smashed a beer bottle into his face, glass flying everywhere. Holding his face in pain, he let out another cry as his face was smashed several times into nearby dumpster, bleeding rapidly as he gripped his forehead now covered in bruises. "You rotten brat, your dead do you hear me" Chen snarled, bring up a hand as he dug it into Jacks wound, managing to make him bleed faster.

Jack cried out in pain as he held his chest, feeling like he was about to pass out from bleeding; breathing heavily. Glancing up slowly at Chen, he ducked under a punch as he lunged at Chen; head butting his nose as he broke it. Letting go of his bleeding chest, Jack shouted "Do me a favor, and stay down" as he grabbed the back of Chens head and slammed it into the ground; knocking him out. Letting go, he breathed heavily as he glanced over at his friends.

Applejack had gotten a punk in a headlock, causing him to pass out. Fluttershy reemerged from the dumpster, slapping away her hooves in safiscation. Twilight panted as she wiped some sweat from her brow at having knocked out some of the thugs. Rainbow Dash chuckled, as she brutally slammed two thugs heads together, knocking them out. Pinkie Pie grinned as she jumped up and down off the belly of a thug, landing. Rarity remerged from behind the dumpster, whistling as she had transformed the thug punk, into a drag queen wearing princess!

"Jack!A..are" Rarity started to ask, but realized it was a dumb question as she watched him stagger to his feet.

"Hey..forget about me. We gotta go to..Discord..gotta say…New York" Jack panted, as he could feel his vision getting more and more blurry by the second. Looking up, he grumbled "Hey can you guys..watch out for trouble, I think im a gonna…lie down for asec" Jack laughed weakly, as he fell face first into Rarity's open arms; thinking to himself that he had defiantly made a habit of passing out.

_**Whew, finally done. I got it done a day earlier then I usually do. That's good considering I have a test upcoming this next Monday. I'm hoping I can get in some pages and hopefully be back to normal for next weeks update. Anyway, once again thank you to all for your wonderful ideas! Please read and review :D**_


	34. Chapter 34

_**Disclaimer: GASP! SID WAS DISCORD ALL ALONG! I know, not that surprising eh? Then again, I made it obvious on purpose since I won't insult the intelligence of my readers ^_^. Though I am curious on what his plan is, let's find out!**_

_**Chapter 33: Sewers, Ghosts, and…whut?**_

"You know, yah really need to work out your issues with passing out from an injury or exhaustion" spoke Jacks inner jackass as he chastised himself for allowing himself to lose touch with the world around him because of some small injuries. "Yeah, well maybe if you toughened up, and allowed me to fight longer I wouldn't have run out of steam" he argued back. "Pfft, that's only because of how weak you are, and how you ne..wait, why am I arguing with myself"?

Then he awoke.

Opening his eyes to see the familiar pink sky, he grumbled with heavy sarcasm "Oh gee, it turns out all that was real. I guess I should get up and deal with it". Sitting up hastily, he immediately regretted it as he touched his tender chest; slowly looking down his shirt to see that his wound had been banged up. Surprised that the girls had been able to patch him up whilst he was out, he looked up to thank them as he noticed only Rarity, Twilight, and Pinkie we're their whilst Dash, AJ and Fluttershy were gone. "Uhh, hey girls" Jack spoke up, as they were looking the other way and hadn't noticed him.

"Jack" cried out Rarity happily as she threw herself at him, pulling him into a bone crushing hug; immediately letting go as she heard him gasp at the pain that was brought to his chest. "OOoh, sorry. Forgot that you were still tender" Rarity smiled sheepishly. Getting serious, she spoke "We we're able to get you to another place to rest since we didn't want the criminals waking up to see you out of it" she admitted, as she pointed to where they were.

It was at that point that Jack realized where he was, as he looked up at the pink sky through..a skylight. Glancing down, as he stared over a multiple desk all lined up, bulletproof glass set up that blocked a stand, computers everywhere, and a radio dispatcher..ahh, they were in a police station. In a way, it was comforting to be in a place where justice "prevailed" but it didn't seem like justice was gonna be knocking at the door anytime soon..least not yet.

"Yah Yah, we've been looking around this place and I gotta say that you humans sure have some weird stuff! What's that over there, and what's this here and..oooh, what's this" Pinkie asked, as she reached into one of the desk and pulled out what appeared to be a .45 Colt!

Jack jumped to his feet, ignoring the pain in his chest as he slapped it out of her hooves. "Don't" he sternly growled, watching as Pinkie's happy-go-lucky expression deflated. Letting out a sigh, he apologized "I'm sorry but this thing..this is extremely dangerous and it's one of the things that we humans use to cause and prevent wars so..it's best that it be in the hands of a human" Jack stated bluntly as he picked it up, snorting as he threw it across the room. "Not that it would do me any good because one, I got fire powers, and two; I doubt a guns would do us any good in this crazy world…so where's Dash, Shy and AJ" he questioned.

Twilight spoke up at this, as she informed "Oh, their outside doing some scouting I guess you could call it since you were out of it and…well, we wanted to see if we could find out abit about this city on our own to show that we could help out in..umm." Twilight became silent as she realized she was babbling. "They should be back soon, but if not then we'll have to go looking for them. But seriously though Jack, are you alright"?

"I'm fine, all things considered; chest still aches yeah, but I'll live" Jack admitted as he ran a hand through his hair in weariness. Looking up, he grumbled "Oh man, it's really strange looking at New York like this he thought to himself…I really do wish that. Wait, what" Jack gawked as suddenly Rainbow Dash, AJ and Fluttershy busted through the front door; panting widely as they tried to catch their breathe. "W..what's going on" Jack demanded, getting to his feet as he brushed off the pain in his sides.

"We…it's a..its a…" Applejack tried to get out, but was having trouble catching her breathe from the rush that they had just gone through. Glancing behind them, she managed to get out "We're in real trouble here. We need tuh get to a new location right now; else we're gunna be ata" she was cut off as suddenly the window shattered; glass going everywhere as in came..tiny miniaturized air planes piloted by squirrels in airplane helmets..shooting acorns that exploded?

"ACK" Jack cried out as one of the acorns struck him in the chest, knocking him onto his back as he hissed at the pain the tiny explosion did to him. Staggering up, he slapped up at the airplanes as he shouted "We gotta get out now" he managed to get out as he staggered to his feet, helped by Pinkie and AJ. Shooting a glance outside, he had to do a double take as he saw what was approaching! What looked like..gummy bears, all in different colors; wielding candy cane swords alongside gingerbread men holding chocolate covered guns!

"Oh god, this is like a twisted version of Candy land coming to kill us" Jack shouted as he ducked to avoid having a tiny explosion hit the back of his head. Shrugging off Pinkie and AJ's grip, he staggered out towards the back; kicking the door open as he found to his relief a manhole covering. Whilst a part of him was apprehensive about taking the sewers whilst the city was in this state; another part was relieved. He knew New York's sewers, so this was a huge advantage!

"They're starting tuh get closer" AJ informed as she didn't quie know what it wus they were gunna do! Throwing Jack a glance, she noticed the sneaky smirk on his face as she couldn't help herself but question "Jack? Whuts with that look"?

"We're going into the sewers" he stated in an almost blunt tone. His proclaim was met with a mixture of disgust, awe, and even some praise as he responded "I know the sewers, and how we can use them to get to the MetLife building. It cuts across town and I'd rather take my chances in a confined place, rather than in the open where we can get attacked by anything".

"Hmmm, it certainly sounds the most logical. We can avoid the main bulk of whatever forces Discord has prepared for us, so that way we can focus our efforts on taking out the main threat itself" Twilight nodded in agreement to Jacks plan. It certainly was solid enough.

"Hey, what I wanna know is if we'll come across anything living in the sewers that will wanna piece of us? Cause if so, than I'm defiantly up for it" Dash grinned, clomping her hooves together to emphasize her want for some violence.

"Don't know" Jack admitted, as apart from some hobos, he never really encountered anything that wanted to kill him..part from the gators living down there that was.. Looking over to Rarity, he noted her disgusted look as he spoke "It's safer this way…".

"Oh I don't doubt that Jack, don't worry" she smiled weakly, as she continued to stare at the sewers. She wanted to protest on the idea of going down into a dark, dank, filthy disease infested tunnel that led towards even more tunnels. But any protest she was getting ready to let out died in her throat at the sound of the candyland brigade coming. "I suppose I'll have to make do..bleh" Rarity made a face as she opened the manhole cover and jumped down.

"I can't believe she jumped down first" Jack laughed in amusement, clearly not about to let Rarity hear the end of this so easily. Sliding down the manhole, Jack was immediately greeted by the accurate scent of shit water hitting his nostrils hard. Cringing in disgust at the scent, he grumbled "Oh yeah, this is really what I need to smell right now". Glancing back to see the last one slide down, he observered as Twilight used her magic to close the manhole cover, shrouding them all in darkness.

Silence fell for a few moments, as Twilight and Rarity used their magic to light up the sewers, the violet glows illuminating the multiple handrails that connected towards other tunnels, below them disgusting sludge water that bubbled and had a rather foul soul coming from it. "I've been down here many times before when I used to live here…so I'll lead the way" Jack nodded to the others, who voiced what had happened.

"What were those things? Gummy bears with swords" Rainbow Dash spat out in irritation as they walked, constantly eyeing the disgusting waters. "We're trying to stop Discord from destroying both our world, and this one; and it's all one big joke to him! How does he take anything seriously" Dash snorted.

"Question is, does he take anything seriously? A'h mean he could kill us all right now, he's probably listening in on what we're talkin about since hes got nothing better to do; or fer kicks. Sides Dash, your talkin bout a guy who went and turned this city into sumthin outta one of those old foal board games ah played when ah was younger" AJ pointed out.

"Maybe we can use that..to our advantage" Twilight said softly to herself, immediately getting questioned about how they could turn Discords little messing around to an advantage. Staring silently, she responded "Tell you all later…I just need to think it over abit more" admitted Twilight. As they continued to walk, she noted the insulation of the sewers as above them was a powerful fan that blew fresh clean air from above. "Well I have to admit, the way you humans manage to get rid of such foul scents is really fascinating" Twilight noted.

"Not really, you guy already have it but just figured it out better" shot back Jack, as he pointed towards a metal ladder that led to one of his little hidey-holes. Climbing up it slowly, he came across a metal door; smiling with satisfaction at his find. Kicking it open, he nodded at the sight of one of his many spots. "Well, if we were all not gonna do anything about Discord, then I'd suggest staying here" he pointed out towards the small room complete with a sofa, two chairs and an old TV with a fridge. Opening the fridge, he removed all the sodas he could get his hands on, pausing as he found a frozen hamburger still fresh.

"But since we're on the move, just some stuff we can use if we get thirsty" he spoke, as he hid the burger before handing out some of the drinks to the others. "Now over here" Jack pointed out, as he opened the exit from his hidey-hole "Is where we have a huuuuge room with a single bridge, so we just gotta cross that; avoid stepping in shit and we should get to the other side. After that well…we'll see".

Indeed, the room he spoke of was probably a good hundred, two hundred yards long and pretty wide to say the least. A small running waterfall was flowing sewage water downwards, avoiding the single metal bridge that led straight across; on either side the water which looked…very unsettling. "Well, best be goin now" Jack commented as he slid down the ladder to reach the metal bridge.

"Umm, I hate to be abit of a killjoy, but my Pinkie sense is tingling and its reaaaaaly, really telling me we shouldn't cross that bridge" Pinkie pointed out, as he tail started shaking and her ear started twitching rapidly. "It's telling me that theirs danger in the water" she informed.

"That's just your imagination" grumbled Jack as he glanced left and right, trying to spot signs of any danger lurking and waiting for them. Glaring suspiciously into the water, he grumbled to himself that there was nothing to worry about, that any fear that was running through his mind and telling him to be cautious was not necessary. Yet a small part of him couldn't help but admit that Pinkie was defiantly right; something was up!

As the other ponies joined Jack, Fluttershy blinked as she saw movement down below. Shyly peeking over the railing, she could see a pair of yellow eyes; glaring up at her menacingly. However from her perception, those eyes resembled those of puppy dog eyes as she cooed "Aww, that nice". Leaning down towards the water to get a better look, she let out an eep as she was yanked back by Rainbow Dash.

"Look alittle closer Fluttershy" Rainbow insisted, as suddenly movement came to the surface, several logs floating silent in the sewage water. They looked like logs, but anyone with a brain could figure out what they really were.

"Huh, we got gators" Jack commented ideally as he scratched the back of his head, before he was interrupted by a low roar that echoed throughout the chambers. Wiping his head around rapidly for the source of the noise, he froze as suddenly in the middle of a few of the logs…a huge triangular fin rose up. "A shark…a fucking shark…" Jack hissed in annoyance as he looked down at his friends in worry before glancing up. "You know what…let's do this quietly" he whispered as they started to cross the long bridge.

The gang was silent for a while, ideally glancing at the floating logs, and fin that seemed to be moving in a zigzag motion; like it was looking for something. Rarity shivered as one of the logs disappeared, and a clear yellow belly emerged before vanishing as fast as it had appeared. "Gaaahh, the thought of these beast swimming around and enjoying the smell, and feel of the water…it makes me sick to my stomach" she gagged softly.

"Sum critters jus love the feel of getting dirty" commented AJ.

"Hey Jack, is there anything in particular that we're gonna be looking for once we get past the bridge" Twilight asked as she wanted to know exactly how far they were until they were out of the sewers. Receiving an answer of how they wouldn't have to go very far; she rolled her eyes in response as she remarked "Very cryptic".

"What can I say, I like being a dick" smirked Jack, as his attempts to lighten the mood fail as suddenly the fin vanished from sight. "Hey, where'd he go" Jack asked, as he leaned over the railing for a moment to get a better view..just as a gator lunged from the water, and tried to tear his throat out as he stumbled backwards in shock . "SONOFVA" Jack spat in fear as he fell onto his rear; hearing a loud crunching sound as he whirled around .

"LOOK" Pinkie pointed in alarm at the sight of the shark, a great white from the looks of it emerged from the water as it sunk its teeth into the other end of the bridge, ripping at the steel as it tore apart the bridge; chewing away at the steel. Glaring at the group of ponies and human, it started to chomp over and over; swimming towards them! The way they came from had become a "moving-chomp-of-death"!

"Oh crap! RUN FOR IT" Jack shouted, as he turned and started to dash as fast as he could across the bridge, stumbling every so often as the bridge shook from the sharks constant biting. If he didn't watch himself; he was gonna get himself killed!

"Wait, there was something..GATORS" Jack shouted in alarm as they attacked!

This shout got the pony's attention as suddenly, gators started to lunge out in surprise towards the heroes; eager to get a bite in and taste some of their flesh. Applejack wrestled with one that got too close, as she jumped back to avoid having her head removed from her body. Getting angry at its attempt, she gripped it in a bear hug as she used her incredible strength to lift it overhead! "Bout time sum one gave you the boot" she hollered as she tossed the alligator and ended up smashing his head into the bridge.

"OOOoo, German duplex" Jack commented as he cringed at the look of pain on the gators face. Before he could makea witty retort, he glanced to his left as "JAWS" tried to take a bite outta his arm! "Quick robin, use the bat shark repellent" Jack called out in a faux Adam West voice as he watched as the shark stopped moving…unable to get his teeth free from the bridge. "You're stuck aren't you…heh" Jack grinned as he placed a palm against the sharks cold snout, as he started to turn up the temperature in his hand.

Watching as the shark flailed for freedom, he asked "What's wrong? You look scared". The table turned however when JAWS got free and managed to slice his tooth against Jacks palm. "OWW" Jack seethed, as he backed away; gripping his palm. Looking up at the others to see them fighting the gators, he tried to see some humor in the situation as Pinkie had somehow managed to stuff a gator into one of her random party cannons before shooting him out into a wall.

Clenching his knuckles as his blood mixed with the fire, the components suddenly made his powers surge for a moment as he retaliated against the shark by whirling and firing a powerful torrent of pyro power, missing due to the fact that he wasn't aiming well. It skived against the sharks left side of his face, burning the flesh off completely.

Rainbow Dash laughed, as she whirled around and hoofed a gator in his jaw, laughing as she was on a pure adrenaline rush. Aw yeah! Nothing could stop her! "That's right, that's right! You can't teach this, I'm just too..gack" she was cut off when a gator snuck up behind her and managed to nip at one of her wings, grounding her for the moment. Cradling her injured wing, she turned around in time to see the monster roar in her face as it was about to get her when suddenly it was blasted in the back by Twilight Sparkles; sending it back into the water.

"As much fun as it is fighting these things, maybe we should go" Twilight asked everypony aloud, receiving a nod of agreement. Galloping towards the end of the bridge, she smiled in relief when she reached the other side and finding it free of monsters. "Let's get goin" Twilight called over to her friends, as they all ran towards her one by one.

"Just a sec, me and Dashy are just…alrighty, take this" Jack shouted, as he lunged towards Dash who bent down and sat up, shooing Jack into the air as she charged and rammed herself into the sharks jaw, whilst Jack came down and punched his fist into its nose. Watching as it sunk, a white flag rising from the water in an almost cartoony manner; Jack raised his fist towards Dash. "Pound it" he smirked, they fist/hoof pounded.

As the last of the gators dispersed, Jack chuckled as he pointed "Hey, check it out" he smirked as he jabbed a finger at the nearby ladder. "We've gone pretty far sooo..let's see where we are exactly huh" he asked the others. Climbing it, he felt something warm on his palm. Why was..ahh yeah. Well, he'd take care of that in abit. Removing the manhole, he peeked up as he expected to find more buildings and skyscrapers.,

Rather, he found himself on an old road in the middle of the dark woods. "Huh, are we in central park" Jack questioned, climbing out as he looked around for any sign that would indicate where they were. Spotting a sign, he muttered "Whisky Hollow, Baldwinsville…oh crap".

"What, what is it" Twilight questioned as she noted the look of terror on Jacks face before he quickly masked it. Either the environment itself was creeping him out, or there was some sort of story to this place? Maybe abit of both. "Jack what is it" repeated Twilight.

"This place is accordingly haunted" Jake stated bluntly, receiving an eep from Fluttershy in response. "It has a pretty evil history. It is said that back in the old days,devil worshipers and members of the KKK used to worship here in the woods, and kill children as sacrifices" he stated softly, as his eyes viewed left and right as he tried to find sight of any upcoming danger. Luckily, there wasn't anything of the matter at the moment.

"Wait, uhh..whut's the KKK" Applejack questioned, not gonna like the answer.

"Buncha white supremacist who believed that anyone who wasn't like them was scum and deserved to die. Got it in their head that they were the dominating race" Jack grumbled lightly to others, not surprised by their mixed reactions of disgust, shock, and sadness.

"That's horrible. Why would you hate someone just because they look different than you" Twilight questioned softly, stunned by more of the cruelty of humanity. She had known Jack for a long while now, and knew that not all humans were cruel, yet she was surprised that a majority or minority could be so..so…

"Cause we're assholes with overinflated egos" Jack bluntly stated as he shot a glance back at Twilight. "We get these fanatical notions in our heads that we need to teach the world something, and believe that we're always right once we get a crowd of similar thinkers. Once that happens, we think that we're entitled to do whatever the hell we want; even if it means murdering people who didn't do anything wrong apart for the crime of being different". Finishing his speech, he looked back as they continued through the woods. "It's said that these woods are still haunted by their ghost…but don't worry, that's all myth cause..".

What he had to next was cut off by a ghostly howl that echoed through the forest, causing the ponies to huddle up next to one another as Jack gulped. Wait, this was Discord they were talking about. The guy who made New York city into a freak show! Why couldn't he make ghost? "Stay calm" Jack whispered, as he could see something start to fade into existence. The silhouettes of men in white mask, and clothes. "They're not real, so they can't hurt you" Jack insisted.

"Are you sure about that" Rarity shivered as she watched them become clearer, slowly approaching her as one of the ghost reached up and removed his mask; showing a deformed, grey mattered, zombie face with red burning eyes as the monster opened his mouth to reveal jagged teeth. "AIIIIIEEEEEEEE" Rarity screamed in alarm, as more of the ghostly, evil men started to appear.

"Alright you punks! Ima about to send you all back to wherever it is that you came from, so if you don't back off; I'm gonna knock your block off" threated Rainbow Dash to the ghost. Watching as they either didn't hear her or didn't listen, she shouted in a wavering voice "I..I'm warning you guys! Ba..Back off" she demanded angrily as she tried get them to leave. "Alright, you asked for it" she shouted, lunging at the ghost in front of her as she went..right through it as expected.

"See, their not real so they can't tou..what the" Jack gasped as one of the ghost reached out and grabbed Jacks arm, physically touching him. "We can't touch them, but they can touch us" demanded a seriously freaked out Jack as the ghost placed his hands around Jacks throat, and started to strangle him. Gasping for air, Jack collapsed to his knees as he tried to burn the evil beings hands off and yet his flame powers weren't working suddenly.

"EEEK! GET OFF! GET OFF" shouted Fluttershy in fear as two of the members had gotten a ghostly rope around her neck, trying to drag her away as she struggled against the monsters!

"Le..let go of me" Jack growled, kicking and punching for his freedom as he couldn't believe that this was really happening to him! Apart of his mind was yelling that this wasn't real, that everything that was trying to kill him or do him in was just a figment of his mind. Yet feeling the cold, icy feeling of death from these ghost made him rethink his opinion as he struggled to breathe; feeling his world starting to grow dark, as the blackness threated to overwhelm him.

"Th..This isn't fun! This isn't fun at all" Pinkie wordily stated as she backed away in horror, as these monsters were really, really weird! And scary! Taking out her party cannon from nowhere, she aimed and fired at the ghost..and gawked as the blast went straight through the ghost.! No, no fair" Pinkie thought!

Feeling the spirit loosen its grip for a moment, Jack managed to rip free as he back flipped away. Furious that he had been humiliated in such an easy fashion, he aimed his palms at the spirits; shouting "BURN" letting out a spew of fire as it rocketed and enveloped the spirits! "Yeah that's right! HOWD YOU LIKE…oh shit" Jack gasped, as the spirits flew through the flames, one of them flying high into the air before coming down and got his hands around Jacks throat once more.

"Jack, don't worry! I. I'll save you" Rarity screamed at him, as an ear piercing sheik entered her ears. Glancing to the left, she gasped in terror at the sight of more ghost appearing, surrounding as her friends started to disappear one by one, and vanishing in a group of encircled spirits! "Leggo, let go of me! Im not going to be..ACK" she gasped as a they started to pill ontop of her, some of them raising torches high into the air as they let out a ghostly howl!

Jack collapsed to his back, panting as he could hear his heart beat slowly get slower, and slower as he couldn't breathe! Watching as the spirits encircled them, they reached down with their hands as they started to obscure Jacks vision. "No….N..Noo…o…." Jack gawked as he reached up with a weakened hand for air as his vision slowed blurred and then…nothing.

_**I apologize for the abrupt ending. I felt that it was the best place to end on a cliff hanger. This week has been hectic with all the moving, and studying I've had to do. Not to much the constant rpping. But hey, that's life. I hope next week Ill be able to get it longer. Till next week, read and review.**_


	35. Chapter 35

_**Disclaimer: I don't own MLP, and if I did well..I don't know if anypony would like the changes that I had in mind; so it's a good thing that I don't own it. Though I have to say, I am really looking forward to season 3 since they continue to surprise me with how well the show runs. So anywho., here we go! **_

_**Chapter 34: The final trek, and a "heated" reunion. **_

Snapping away, Jack's hand went up to his neck instantly, as his eyes averted around rapidly in fear as he tried to register what had happened. The last thing he had recalled was that he was being strangled to death by one of the ghost of Whisky Hollow. He and his friends were surrounded and..and then nothing. Glancing around as he tried to figure out where he was, he noticed that he was in the lobby of what appeared to be an office building of some kind. Sleek floor, front desk, elevators, staircase.. Eyes going up, he noted the sign: METALIFE.

"Wait..how'd we get here" Jack protested, as he then noticed his friends were unconscious next to him. Getting to his feet, he thought "The last thing I remember is we were about to be killed by ghost and then..We're here..which is miles away from where we were before and…"? As he tried to figure this out, he got his friends up one by one.

"Huh, what is this place" Twilight quipped as she noted how important the place looked. Glancing up at the METALIFE sign, she came to the conclusion on how they got there. "Discord" she spoke simply.

"What? Why would that nutcase place us in the very place he said he'd be in" Rainbow Dash snorted, since she figured Discord for being a lot more smarter than to not take them to the place w..wait a sec! "That punk" Dash growled, as the answer came to her.

"Exactly. Discord is so cocky that we can't win, that he brought us here out of a sense of his own inflated ego" Twilight interjected before Dash could finish. On a roll, she proclaimed "And I bet that he had something to do with that ghost too".

"In this sort of world..bah! He's messing with us! He has all the cards, and he isn't even taking us seriously anymore! So the ruffian chooses to send these cheap tricks to scare and distract us whilst he sits on his rear; laughing" Rarity huffed.

"He certainly is being a showman..Maybe we can use that to our advantage" Jack muttered to himself. Glancing up, he remarked "Well, however we got here and for what reason doesn't really matter right now. "We're literally within range of our goal. Since this guy has got the ego of a James Bond villain; he's mostly at the top floor or the roof. Cause for some reason, the bad guys just really love it that way".

"Great, so we just head up each floor till we git to him. Couldn't be simpler" AJ smirked as she started to head past Jack when Pinkie Pie suddenly tackled her as an Anvil fell down, smashing into the floor. "Where the hay did that come from" gasped AJ.

"My Pinkie Pie sense is going wonky! Discord is everywhere in this place, and he's gonna be doing everything to stop us from having things make sense again" Pinkie interjected in a face paced manner as she tried to grasp how they could handle this. Giggling as an idea came to mind, she smiled "Heya! Dashy, why don't you and Fluttershy just fly us up to the top? I'm sure that with Jack, Rarity, and Twilight's magic together could help keep your wings strong enough too".

"Nah, that wont Pinkie" Dashy cut off

"What? Why not" Pinkie gasped, thinking that idea had been a good idea.

"This here is Discord we're talking bout. He'd probably figure out whut we we're up to and have a way to keep us from reachin him. So, we go out their; he'd probably shoot us down outta the skies" admitted AJ with a shrug. Glaring up at the ceiling as she wondered what Discord was doing; she grumbled "Darn Discord. Ah hate when he doesn't take us seriously".

""We..well umm..we can use that to umm..help us because since he's not..well I mean we could surprise him" voiced Fluttershy.

Deciding to put all conversation to a rest, Jack charged towards the elevator as he stopped. "Wait.." he grumbled, as he pressed the button. Suddenly, the door opened to reveal jagged teeth and a long red tongue as it wrapped around Jacks torso and attempted to pull him into its maw. "An elevator monster? You fucking kidding me" Jack snarled, as he burned his way through the tongue as he backed away. "Elevators out so..stairs it is..oh god this is going to be a long climb" Jack growled as he started up the stairs.

"Hey, Jack wait a sec! Don't rush off without us" Rarity called after him, galloping after him in exasperation. One of the problems with Jack was that he either mostly does the thinking with his fist,or charges off without planning at all. As the others followed Rarity, she was surprised at how many floors there was as she noted their being 59 floors. She was even more surprised at how Jack was able to keep going up with such energy, but that must been from the magic.

Pulling off from the stair case on the 8th floor, Jack kicked open a door that would lead to abuncha cubicles all lined up neatly. Glancing left and right for any sign of trouble, Jack shouted aloud "Yo Discord! Instead of sitting on your ass laughing, why don't you come on down here and fight me like a man..or a chimera or..whatever the hell you are". Goading Discord didn't seem to be the right move as suddenly, the room darkened.

"Eh, whats this? Did Discord turn down the sun or something? I'm actually abit surprised he can do that in this human world" Dashy commented in an irritated tone. Noticing that Jack was staring past her with a horrified stare; his mouth gapping; she slowly turned her head and found herself staring at a reflection of herself. Watching as the reflection vanished and appeared, she backed up and noticed that it was an eye..a giant…angry…lizards eye as it glared at her.

!

"AGH" Jack growled as he covered his sensitive ears to the ear shattering roar from the dinosaur like monster. "Godzilla…he made Godzilla..That's nice" Jack grumbled over the roaring as he glanced back over to see the creature place its open mouth against the window as down its throat, a green glow began to appear. "DUCK" Jack shouted, as he dropped to the floor.

"AIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE" cried Twilight as she could feel the heat of the fire breath; tormenting above her like a storm! Looking up as the fire disappeared for a moment, she tried to come up with a plan on how to get rid of the reptilian rampage. "Umm, ahh" she stuttered as the monster's mouth started to charge once again with power. "I..I got it" she proclaimed as she fired a bolt of violet magic down the monsters maw.

"ACK! E..erg.." the monster gagged, as his eyes went wide; his mouth slamming shut in response to the sudden experience of magic. Grasping at its throat, it could feel something in its belly threating to let loose. "Ble..BLE..BLERAHAAAGGGGGGGH" shouted the monster as it threw up..candy? A mountain of candy flooded the office window as the residents within were buried underneath the candy.

"Oh CRA.." Jack started to swear, but was cut off as he was buried under the candy.

Many of the ponies and human reacted with dismay, and annoyance at this. Pinkie on the other hoof, started chomping her way through the candy like a pro; norming as she licked her lips at how delicious the candy tasted! Coming up from the sea of candy, she giggled "MMmmmm, yummy"! Looking over at the others, she could see that they weren't remerging from the sea. "Ahh, what are you guys doing" Pinkie questioned curiously.

"This..is seriously pissing me off" Jack stated deadpanned, as his furious red eyes glowed from beneath the sea.

"While we're goin round fighting, making the bad guys hurt; Discords sending all this nonsense at us; making us look like abuncha foals" AJ responded as well; as her eyes flared with similar fury.

"I swear..if he doesn't start taking me seriously" Dash swore, before she let out a roar of anger; emerging from the pile of candy with her hooves raised in the air; AJ and Jack following suit as they roared alongside her! "IM GONNA BEAT HIS FACE IN" Dash bellowed as she glared at the Godzilla, knock off monster. "First though, I'm gonna make you get lost" Dash swore loudly, charging at high speed towards the monster as she raised a hoof back. "HIIIIYAAAHH" Dash declared; connecting with the monsters jaw alongside AJ who had kicked it, whilst Jacks flaming fist punched!

"Eh" Jack blinked as he watched the monsters jaw start to inflate itself. "What the hell? It's gonna blow" shouted an alarmed Jack as the inflated jaw pushed against him, Dash and AJ. All three of them tensed up as they expected to get blown to bits when..the jaw popped like a balloon and deflated. His eyes fluttered a few times, whilst his teeth tightened in anger.

"Looks like Discord still isn't going to take us seriously, despite you three really going off on the anger" Rarity pointed out as the three of them glared downwards in silent anger. Approaching the three, she stated "He's doing this to get a rise from you three. If you show how angry he makes you, then he's getting the satisfaction of winning. Do you want to give him that"?

That was true… Breathing in and out, Jack nodded "Yeah..I don't want him to get under my skin…let's go". Silently, the trio reentered the stairwell as they started to go back up once more. Glancing back at Rarity as he took up the rear, Jack smiled weakly "Heh, thanks Rarity".

"It's no problem at all Jack. After all, all of that pent up aggression that you have in you could be used for..Other ways rather than fighting. Perhaps you could show me after we end up saving the day, hmm" Rarity hummed as she gently rubbed his cheek.

"Oooh I'm looking forward to that Rary" flirted Jack, as he gently scratched under her chin with one finger as he noticed her title her head at the nickname. "Yeah, I figured that could be my pet name for yah whenever I'm feeling "fiiiine", you like" questioned Jack.

Giggling in response to the name, Rarity nodded "Mmm hmm, I do like. I hope you don't mind me calling you Jackie then". Watching him make a face at the name, she burst into giggles as she recovered "Hehehe, it does sound like a girly nickname I know. My "tough wittle man" wouldn't want anything linked to girl now would he"?

"Nuh huh, that would hurt my feelings" spoke a mock hurt Jack, as he chuckled in response to their conversation that seemed to take his mind off of his anger for the moment. Suddenly remembering where he was and that the two of them had a job that needed to be done; he blushed "We'll finish this conversation after we win; kay"? Getting a nod, he said "Right, lets keep going then".

Rushing up the stairs, Jack growled as he came across another blocked part of the stairwell; as he kicked at the locked grated door in frustration. "Kay, let's try another office then" Jack grumbled as he turned to the left and kicked open the door.

This room was much larger than the last one. Infact, there was nothing in it apart from a few desk, and chairs that were crudely tossed aside, some them even scorched and yet..not by being burnt. From how black, and judging by how neatly the equipment was burnt; it looked like it was electrocuted rather then..broken glass shards were sewer everywhere next to broken windows. The door at the end of the room was broken off its hinges, fist indentations deeply within the door. In the middle of the vastly empty room was a single chair. Sitting in the chair, appeared to be a human. A man in his mid-thirties from the looks of it, a ripped brown overcoat, and faded jeans. Distant grey eyes, dirty brown hair, unshaven face, a horrible stench emanated from the man as he held what appeared to be an old beer bottle; as he continued to chug.

Approaching the drunken man, Jack narrowed his eyes as he approached the only living resident on the floor. "Oh god…it's you" Jack started deadpanned as he recognized the man. Watching as the man glanced up at him, Jack snarled as the man continued to drink. "Norman White" Jack snarled at the adoptive father; tempted to unleash hell fire on the man.

"Well well…look who finally came back" Norman chuckled lowly. Moving his hand around in a sweeping gesture; he laughed "Welcome to New York city; It's a real shit hole…". Chugging down some more whisky, he laughed "Heh, I'm surprised that your even here boy. I take in you, you take off without a word…leaves everything in a crappy state".

"What are you talking about, you drunken idiot" Jack growled, cracking his knuckles in sight of the man who had abused him ever since he had taken in Jack after his father died. He didn't give two shits about him, or anyone else but himself. All that mattered to him was one thing, and one thing only in this world; Whisky. Whenever Jack had either gotten out of line, gotten in his way or simply looked at him funny..POW! Right in the eye.

"Heh, I mean you leave, and come back acting like you care about what happens to this world. Why should you care right? I mean, what did this place ever do for you right? You been living in your world of fantasy ponies, only to come back and..hic..act like this place means something to you" Norman laughed as he got to his feet, or staggered.

"You're not making any sense…despite what I feel about this place, I'm still human. I may not like the problems with it, but I still care about Earth…I just prefer to live somewhere else now" spat Jack, as he tried to defend himself with the last statement; but Norman was having none of it.

"Ha! Oh I getcha boy. You're a coward" Norman laughed in between chugging as he remarked "Rather than live in the real world, and deal with what life throws at yah; you hide yourself away in a world where everything comes up all sunshine and roses, thinking that's what life's all about…tell me ponies, has what he brought to your world helped"?

The ponies seemed shocked at the fact that he knew about them, as he laughed "Oohh Discord told me everything about you little freaks. How you live in a world of magic and friendship, and how you..*hic* never have to worry about the same problem we humans we…you think your better than us don't you…DON'T YOU"? demanded Norman angrily, as he smashed his bottle against a window.

"Calm down drunk, they don't think anythi.." Jack started to say but was cut off when Norman shot his hand forward and fired a bolt of lightning into Jacks chest; knocking him onto his rear. "GGAAAAAAAH" Jack hollered in pain, the electricity dancing around his body as it surged all over him. As it vanished, he twitched a few times as he slowly got up. "W..Where'd he learn how to do that"!

"Surprised aintchat boy" laughed the drunk as he jabbed a thumb casually up at the ceiling. "Discord up their went and gave me this power and it feels great! Hell, I can give you all the punishment that you deserved whenever you ran away or tried to avoid punishment" smirked Norman toothily. Snapping his fingers, a bottle of whisky appeared in his right hand as he chugged it down in a delicious manner. "Mmmmm, that's useful" grinned Norman, as he continued to chug. Pausing lightly, he said "Now..I think I'm going to teach you a lesson boy".

Getting to his feet, Jack grumbled as he ran a hand through his hair; trying to keep himself calm as he glared over at the drunken fool. "You know what Norm, you really piss me off so I think what I'm gonna do is fry you so I can get back for all the crap I had to put up with".

Hahah! As if you could" cackled Norman, raising his palms high into the air. At first nothing happened, as the man stood in place; looking like a complete fool. Suddenly, lighting shot out of his fingertips; his entire body vanishing in the process. A bright yellow aura covered Norman, as the aura seemed to get larger, and larger by each second. As the aura vanished; Norman glowered down silently at the shocked teen the man had gained massive muscles, and was now ten feet tall! His clothes were completely ripped bow, as he looked even drunk in the eyes…

"O..oh no…" muttered Jack as he slowly backed away in intimidation, as he thought to himself how strong he was now. He seemed strong before but..now he looked like a frekaing behemoth! Despite how intimidated he felt by the size of the freak, he wasn't about to back down. Snorting, Jack crouched low into a fighting stance as he snorted "Do you really think that's gonna help? Like Im gonna piss my pants at the size of you being a giant? Tch, all you've done is made this easier for me"!

Closing his eyes, Jack chuckled as he grumbled "Flame on.." before his entire body ignited in fire! "Well, now I do think Ill kick your ass thank you" Crouching down low, Jack sprinted towards his foster father; itching to break his teeth as he leaped high into the air to kick his teeth out! "HEEEYAH..wha" Jack blinked as the drunk caught his foot in midair; stopping him in his tracks. Grunting, and groaning against his grip; Jack snarled "Gahh..let go of me you idiot"!

"Alright" smiled Norman, as he turned towards his group of friends and tossed the boy into them; nodding with satisfaction at the sound of him connecting. Stomping his feet towards them, he hefted one foot into the air to crush the hell outta the group; a cruel sneer etched on his face!

Eyes widening in pain at the feeling of something powerful kicking at his hind left leg; he staggered to keep his balance; glancing down in time to see the Applejack kick his giant foot; her incredible strength knocking him off balance as he collided face fist against the ground.

"Ha! That's whut you get when you mess with mah friends" chortled AJ.

"And this is what you get for pissing me off" remarked the giant as he aimed his giant finger at the earthpony before shooting a bolt of lighting at her! His anger seemed to rise even further as Pinkie Pie shoved AJ and herself both out of danger; her Pinkie sense clearly working well today since she was able to move fast enough to help AJ.

"Get him" Rainbow Dash shouted; charging in low towards Norman who was picking him himself off the ground. Grinning with glee when he looked up, Dash punched him hard in the chin as the drunken man staggered backwards from the blow; threating to fall over from the amount of power he had felt in that one attack! Pumping her hoof into the air in victory, Dash declared "You can dish out being a jerk to Jack and hurting him; but I guess you can't take it huh"?

"Heh" snorted the drunk in return; moving his head back into its normal position as he rubbed his now sore chin. "I have to say, Jack picked his friends. To be gutsy enough to actually stand against me, I'm really impressed. Or not" Norman snidely sneered; retracting his statement as he fired a crackle of lighting in Dashes direction; laughing as the Pegasus pony was struck; her entire body twitching rapidly as the electric danced through her bones before she collapsed against the ground.

Twilight glared as she tried to think of way to overpower Norman. Her eyes scanning the room; she spotted a few large curtains with thick rope that were ideally hanging next to the broken windows. Grinning, she called "Rarity"! The other magic user galloped to her side as Twilight whispered her plan into the fellow unicorn's ear. Getting a nod at the plan, the two set their plan into action.

"Ha! Is this all you can do" Jack taunted as he rolled aside to avoid getting stepped on; whirling around to toss the occasional fire ball at the man. "You're not really that hard to miss because you're so big. I'm guessing of the bad sides of being huge is that you become an easy target huh" sneered Jack who was surprised at Norman simply laughed in return to his taunts. "What's with the laughing" demanded the angsty teen.

"You're the real idiot Jack! My massive size allows me to take all the pathetic hits you're dealing out towards me! And you know what? I don't feel a damn thing" grinned Norman; stomping his foot against the ground. It sent a powerful shockwave that knocked Jack, AJ and Pinkie off of their feet/hooves. Norman laughed cruelty at the sight of the trio of friends trying to beat him. That would never happen of course; because he was all powerful!

Pumping his fist into the air; any further thoughts of victory were quickly cut off when suddenly; several large curtains started to wrap around his waist, feet, and hands. Struggling against the sheets; he was surprised that they were able to keep him from breaking free as the sheets were being held together by some very strong magic by the feel of it. Completely tied up; he noted the sound of a lit cannon as he turned back to see a grinning Pinkie; who fired it into his back; knocking him onto his stomach.

"What's wrong Norman" remarked Jack causally as he approached the temporarily disabled giant. "Seems like you're a little bit "tied up" at the moment" joked Jack as he could hear his friends groan at the incredibly bad pun.

"I just wanted to say Jack" Norman grumbled quietly; glancing downward before he looked back up with a sneaky grin. "Thanks for getting closer" Norman laughed as he suddenly broke free from his bonds and wrapped a meaty fist around Jacks waist; picking himself off the ground.

"GAAAAHH! LEGGO! LEGGO" Jack responded as he struggled to get himself free from the giants grip. Yet it appeared to be useless as no matter how hard he struggled; he couldn't break free from Norman's strength. Feeling a familiar jolt run through his body; Jack glowered. He knew what was coming next. "Damn you" Jack growled as Norman started to shock the hell outtta Jack!

"Hahahahah! How do you like that boy..do you hear me? HOW DO YOU LI..WHAT THE HELL" Norman shouted as he started to get swarmed! Glancing down; he was shocked at the sight of Pinkie Pie and Applejack climbing up him; Dash and FLuttershy were flying in low to attack whilst Twilight and Rarity were shooting at him with magic spells.

"Let go of our friend you big bully" Fluttershy shouted as she dive-bombed down towards him; kicking him in the nose. Backing away in shock, surprised at her own bravery; she blinked "Ummm..ahh".

"Nice one FLuttershy" called Jack weakly to his usually passive friend.

"NOT GOOD ENOUGH" Norman responded in anger, as he reared back and fired another bolt of lightning towards the trio of friends. Laughing in mockery as his mouth twisted into a sneer of smugness; he noted "Tell me, how this is helping your situation? You're on the run, and in constant danger and you think that you can beat me? PAH! Glancing down as he felt the earth ponies punch at his chest; he reached up a free hand to squash them when he felt an immense pain in his hand.

"GAAAAAAA" he shouted as he let go of Jack, watching the teen slip between his fingers as Jack collapsed to the floor. Gripping his hand, he noted a small trail of blood from where Jack had bitten him. He had actually resorted to biting him just to get free! "Well, I figured you'd try something like this! Luckily, I was prepa..AGGGGRHHH" cried out Norman as he covered his face to protect himself from the intense heat from Jacks flaming swords!

Landing in front of Norman, Jack back flipped away as Norman stared shooting bolts where he stood. Avoiding them to the best of his ability, he thought to himself how crazy this was! For one, being able to use such powers seemed…wait a sec. Glancing at Rarity and Twilight, he backed up next to them as he shouted "Everypony, keep him busy! Twilight, Rarity; I need your help". Watching as everyone rushed in to attack, he turned to the two unicorns.

"Do you have some sort of plan Jack" Twilight questioned curiously as she hopped that whatever it was; it could help them take down Norman fast!

"I think so…I want you two to absorb his lighting; and send its power into me. So when I use my fire attacks; they'll be a lot stronger and therefore; give me what I need to beat Norman" explained Jack, as he watched the fight between Norman and the others.

"That's crazy" Rarity protested; shaking her head in disagreement at such a plan. "How do we know that the power from his magic won't hurt you in the process? All it could end up doing is killing you" Rarity insisted. Glowering at the idea, she was surprised when Jack nodded in response. "Wait..you know it might kill and you still want to do it"?

"I know…but Im gonna do it anyway. I don't intend on dying, that's the best I can say really" sighed the human as took a step towards Norman at the sight of Dash almost being zapped out of the air. "Just be ready alright? Im gonna get his attention". When Normans back turned, Jack aimed and fired a stream of fire at his back. "Heya drunken idiot! Over here! Why are yah wasting your time fighting innocent ponies when you could be teaching the ungrateful bastard a lesson"? Deciding to put on more taunting, he laughed "You really are a piece of work, you know that Normy? Spend all your days drinking and blaming all your shit on me; when you're the one who's truly worthless".

"SILENCE" thundered Norman, whirling around as he sent a spew of lighting at Jack. He was shocked when Jack back flipped away as Twilight and Rarity trotted up, horns glowing. Snorting as his lighting started to absorb, he laughed "What? You think you can handle it" as he put down more power.

Rarity let out a tiny eep of pain, as she flinched under the magnificent power that was emanating from the abusive foster father. The power that was being transferred into her horn felt unbearable! Twilight was holding out a lot better than she was, but this was most likely due to Twilight being more proficient with magic. Groaning, Rarity opened her eyes as she glared at Norman with contempt. This..Horrid creature had made her Jacks life hell, and she was going to see to it that he was punished!

Directing her magic towards Jack, Twilight watched as the human clenched his knuckles as he collapsed to his feet; the overwhelming power from the magic was quiet…well..powerful! "Cmon Jack, you can do it" called Twilight in ecourgamnet as she knew that he had it in him to survive and overcome all!

Jack groaned as he felt like every single nerve in his body was exploding at the speed of light as he charged up his flame powers. Opening his eyes, he gawked in amazement at the sight of his fire towering over himself; the power from the lighting clearly escalating what it was capable of. A slow smirk etched onto Jacks face at the sight of this, as he turned to face Norman. Placing his palm out, he focused and fired a concentrated beam of fire!

Norman, realizing what was about to happen; turned and fired back in return in hopes of overcoming the boy! "That won't work Jack! YOU WONT WIN" cackled Norman; knowing that his powers would overcome Jacks in the end. At first, that's exactly what it seemed like as Normans lighting powers were starting to overwhelm Jacks fire beam. However, just as it appeared he was about to win; he got the shock of his life when his attack started to get pushed back. "N.o…NO" protested Norman in denial at this prospect!

Jack however wasn't happy, nor was he sad: he felt absolutely nothing as knew what had to be done before he shouted "TAKE THIS"! His fire beam shot forward as it completely enveloped Norman, inciting a scream of absolute pain as the man vanished in the blast! When it died down, he was gone. All that was left was a pile of smoldering ashes. Lowering his hands, he glanced back at the others as he muttered "C'mon. Let's go" as he turned and continued further up without a word.

"OOf" Jack grumbled as he and Rainbow Dash kicked open the door to the roof of the Metalife building. Glancing left and right, the two nodded as they stepped out onto the large structure. A whirling storm had started; chocolate rain fell down as the sky was now a uniform pinkish color. The rest of the group followed up behind them, as they all had the same thought on their mind: They had made it up..so where was Discord?

"We'll…you actually made it" smirked Discord as he hovered above them; a cocky smirk to indicate he had won before the battle had even begun.

_**Ending it there. I hope the fight scene was good, I wanted to try and make it as long as possible but I hope it didn't drag out. Anyway, the confrontation with Discord is next week. It might be one…maybe two parts. I am about to pass algebra after all this time so I'm really, really pumped up! Anyway, till then! **_


	36. Authors note 2

_**A/N: Forgive me everyone, but for this week I wont be able to update the story due to the fact that Im in the process of moving away. The next chap will hopefully be up by next week. Any suggestions, and ideas on how the final battle/epilogue should be will be most appreciated. Thanks!**_


	37. Chapter 37

_**Disclaimer: You know the drill by now. I don't own MLP, yadda yadda! All that jazz! Any who, we're almost to the end of this fanfic; and Ive had a lot of fun doing it. Ive also really enjoyed your comments, and feedback of ideas! Im still wondering if I should do a sequel sometime in the future. Anything could really happen so if it does; then that's pretty cool! But for now, its time for the battle between Discord and the gang! Here we go!**_

_**Chapter 35: Chaotic struggle.**_

"Hahahahhah..HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA" cackled Discord with glee; whilst lighting crackled rapidly all around him to emphazie on his evilness! "Oh this truly has been amusing. You all actually made it through the "New" New York city, and got all the way up here? But..why are you here exactly" Discord questioned in a faux confused tone. Blinking a few times, he started to chuckle "Oh..you..you didn't come up here to try and fight me did you" mocked the trickster; throwing his head back in laughter whilst holding his gut.

None of the group responded, all smart enough to know that he was just mocking them to get a rise out of them. This fight was probably gonna be more difficult than anything they had encountered before! Discord was someone who could bend, and break reality to his own will. He could transform, corrupt, possess, anything really!

Rarity stepped forward as she declared "You've had your fun Discord; running amoke all over this city, causing trouble for its people. It stops now".

"Pah! And you think you can stop me? Droll, very very droll dear Rarity" remarked Discord, snapping his fingers as he suddenly reappeared; wearing what appeared to be a beer hat as he started drinking the chocolate rain. "Tch, all I got's to do is sit here on mah rear and let ya'll tire yurselves out" Discord drawled in a mock southern accent.

"All talk. That's what yew are Discord! All talk, no action. Yew kick back, and let your ego get the best of yah; and get it in yer head that you can never be beat" AJ called out; a slow smirk rising as she demanded "But if that we're true; then how cume we we're able to beat yew last time"?

Discord flinched at this, remembering how he had been beaten in such a manner. He had corrupted Twilights friends one by one, in hopes of turning them against each other; letting them destroy one another. But then Celestia..blasted Celestia just had to go and get in the way! She had ruined his plans by interfering with them; causing the girls to regain their former selves and send him back into his stone prison. "I don't have to worry..because Im not going back into my stone prison..never again…" Discord growled, letting his anger show for a moment; breathing lightly as he forced a smile to hide his hidden anger.

"Tch, you really think that we're gonna lose to you like first time? I think by now we're ready and know about what sort of tricks that you might have up your sleeves" Dash cockily spat, growling as Discord laughed in response. "Whats so funny" she demanded.

"Oh please, what I showed last time was only a fraction of what Im capable of. If I wanted to; I could turn you all inside out, make you gain immense weight, transform you into something new, coru..whats wrong Jack? You haven't said a word since I started? Are you seething in silent anger because you know Im right, or perhaps your scared after your encounter with your step dad? Which one huh" sneered Discord at the silent teen.

Jack glowered lightly at his feet, not focusing on Discord at all as he managed to let out…"Why"?

Of all the things that Jack had to say, all the insulting, threatening, or even snide things; this was one of the last things Discord expected as he responded with a confused "What"?

Glancing up to meet Discords face, Jacks face was mixed between anger and..pity? Whilst he mostly hated Discord, furious with him for what he had done to his home, for what he had done to his friends; a small part of him pitied him for what he was doing. "Are you out to cause/spread chaos simply because you its what you love to do? Your out for revenge..or…". He paused as a slow smirk twisted onto Jacks face. "Maybe this is all nothing more than a petty cry for attention, perhaps even love". Speaking these words, he noticed Discord flinch. "Hit the marker their didn't I" taunted the cocky human.

Discord glared silently, as a brief memory flashed through his mind. It was a clear blue sky, and he had first woken up. He didn't know where he was but….their were these two funny look creatures. One of them was pure white, the other was a cerulean blue. The then child Discord smile as he went and introduced himself to them, asking if they wanted to be friends. They had agreed, and everything had been perfect, until…

Shaking his head furiously at the memories, Discord snorted in response to Jacks claim; remarking "Pft, Ah yes god of chaos here. Do you really think that I need a reason for why I do what I do? Its because its what I do best and oooh, I dunno: its fun"? Snapping his fingers, Discord appeared next to Jack as he touched his hair; and then touched Pinkies hair. "Oh I must say, pink really suits you Jack" Discord smirked.

"What are you talking abou..whu" Jack froze as he stared ahead to see a small strain of pink hair coming from his head. Eyes switching towards his friends, he was surprised to see Pinkie suddenly had dark black hair that..looked a lot like his..it was even short enough to be..oh crud". "You miserable bastard" snarled Jack furiously, as he suddenly realized that Pinkie and his hair had been switched! Now on his head was Pinkies mane, and Pinkie had his hair!

"Oh please, It gets better" Discord laughed at Jacks anger, snapping his fingers once more. Placing a finger to his ear, he grinned "Now can you please go and threaten me again"?

"Fine! Im gonna break your nose, you egomaniac! Im..WHAT HAPPENED TO MY FACE" Jack shouted, suddenly his voice having gone high pitched and sounding similar to Pinkies in fact..it was Pinkies!

"Wow, I sure sound funny" Pinkie responded, trying to keep the situation light hearted as her voice was now Jacks. Apparently Discord found it humors to move away from any serious conversation, by screwing with the gang. "Well Jack, just because I sound silly dosent mean Im any different from being the same old Pinkie Pie" giggled Pinkie, as she placed a hoof around his neck.

"GAH! Don't talk to me! Its creepy hearing my voice say things like that" Jack protested; holding the sides of his head! Whirling back around to face Discord, Jack threatened "Alright Discord, I'm giving you one chance! Either you turn the whole world back to normal, and we don't have to make you hurt. Or you can continue what your doing, and see where it goes"! When Discord snapped his fingers one final time; Jack felt a weird sensation above his rear as he turned around to find he now had Pinkies tail!

"OH THAT'S IT! YOUR FREAKING DEAD" Jack seethed; done with being reasonable as he turned around and started to fire multiple fire bolts at Discord in an attempt to shoot him out of the sky! Laughing in victory at the sight of Discord falling out of the sky; smoking like an air fighter that was shot down: he growled to see Discord get up waving a white flag.

"Oh please, don't hit me anymore! Your powers are simply far superior to my own. Oh whatever shall I do" Discord asked in a faux panic tone. Falling down from high above, he held his chest in pain; struggling to get up; extending his clawed hand towards Jack in horror as he begged "Please...stop this..I really am hurt...or bored; whichever works best for you" Discord smirked; raising a claw into the air before shooting a gust of powerful wind at the group. Watching as Jack tumbled backwards and collided against his friends; Discord commented "You know, maybe you should just..oh I dunno. Accept that this is gonna be how the world is. Completely cuckoo, and filled with hilarity. I think you'd learn to love it even".

"Forget it" snapped Jack angrily, pushing himself back up, as he looked over himself in annoyance. He looked absolutely ridiculous. With his now pink mane, tail and voice; it was wonder if any of his friends were gonna take him seriously! Raising a fist up threatingly towards Discord, Jack growled "Okay, you think your so tough? Cause Im about to knock you down a few pegs"! Running next to Rainbow Dash, Jack hopped onto her back; smirking as she soared the two of them up into the air. As they neared Discord, Rainbow Dash bucked Jack off of her towards Discord. Rearing a fist back, he slammed his flaming fist right into the side of his cheek.

Hey punk" Rainbow Dash called, glad that she still hard her wings and that this wasn't turning into a repeat of last time. Wondering what would happen if she attempted a sonic rain boom and rammed herself into Discord. Thinking of what could happen, she started to fly around in circles to pick up her speed; smirking ideally at the major adrenaline rush that she was getting at the moment. Faster, and faster and faster she spun! Until it became too much for her, as she whirled around towards Discord; zooming at high speed as her body glowed with a familiar rainbow aura. "TAKE THIS! RAINBOOM CRASH" she declared, slamming into Discords body; the entire area suddenly becoming engulfed in a bright light from the shock wave!

"Oooo, what happened" Twilight groaned lightly, holding her head as her eyes derped lightly in exasperation from what had just happened to her. Shaking her head to make the stars go away; she turned left to glance at Applejack and..was surprised to see she suddenly had a horn! An orangish horn on her forehead! But AJ was an earth pony! Why would she suddenly have a..wait a sec. Feeling up towards her forehead, she let out a gasp of terror. Her horn..where was her horn?!

"Oh mah stars! ..what did Discord do to us" Applejack stared in terror; surprised to feel her usual earthpony strength in her hooves had left her. Now she felt an alien feeling of magic running through her body all the way up to her head. Discord had switched parts of their bodies around; not just satisfied with Jack apparently! Looking at her horn, she shivered. Wus this whut Twilight felt all the time? Celestia, it must be really trying!

Jack groaned as he rubbed his eyes, floating in mid air now for some weird reason. Either Discord was holding them all in mid air through magic just to mess with them; or some other force was keeping them up. Either way, it bothered him and he wanted to come down no,..wait... He froze in terror, mouth slowly gaping at the sight of..himself staring back at him with a playful grin. Reaching up to touch his face, he felt facial hair under his chin and..two mishapened horns on his head! Realizing what had just happened to him, he cried out "GAH! IM A MONSTER"!

Discord glowered lightly at this, having switched his and Jacks bodies for laughs as he snorted "Oh, hardy har har. Your very funny Jack..I must say that with the amount of laughter that your giving out; ponies are falling onto their own weight in laughter; unable to get back up...infract..here! Lets add on some of that eh" Discord laughed, as he snapped his fingers and watched the fun. Before he could get out a word of mockery however, he was surprised when suddenly Pinkie Pie flew in with..pink wings and kicked him hard in the head!

"Oh, your going to regret that" threanted an annoyed Discord, as he reached up to deal with the flying pink menace. Shooting his human arm up, he froze when he saw that his arm didn't extend at all. Grumbling at this, he muttered "Oh that is just so inconvenient. Maybe if i just" as he tapped his arm, watching with a smirk as it extended now; glowing to show that it was filled with magic. Shooting his arm up at Pinkie, it moved like a serpent in the water as it snatched Pinkie Pie with ease. Smirking, Discord called "You seem to like flying around alot with your new wings. Could get dizzy. Want to go for alittle spin" asked Discord; his arm started to swirl around in a circular motion as he gripped the pink horse.

Groaning at how weird his body felt right at the moment, Jack stared down at his left lions paw, and right eagles claw with shock. This was a really, really weird feeling. Being trapped inside Discords body. He was treating this more like a game then an actual fight and seemed to be playing the bully card. Whenever someone knew got in his way, he would turn his attention tot them and focus everything he had! Well, that wasn't about to get to him! No si.. He paused as he suddenly felt something strange in his belly, watching as it grumbled and growled on its own.

"OOooooo" Jack groaned as he bended over, holding his belly as gawked in horror as his belly...started to bloat up. "W..what the" Jack got out, his voice getting deeper and deeper as if the weight was being applied to his vocal cords to emphasize how fat he was suddenly getting. Feeling his legs, and arms bloat up; he tried to run at Discord in an attempt to punch or kick him. This failed immiedeatly however as he suddenly fell to his knees, too tired to move. "Urrrg, this feels weird" Jack managed to get out as he continued to grip his belly which was now huge! In an almost comical way, it looked a pretty funny sight since he was so well known for being athletic, constantly moving his body and pushing himself to his limits. It figured that the most ironic twist of him having to fatten up and become incredibly slothful, really ended up pissing him off.

"AND AWAAAY YOU GO" laughed Discord as he stopped spinning Pinkie, and heaved her towards her friends; watching with glee as Pinkie let out a scream of horror as she collided into her friends, knocking them over as if they were bowling pins. Roaring with laughter, Discord fell onto his back as he held his stomach; feeling like he was about to bust a gut from how hard he was laughing as Pinkie collided against Jacks belly.

"Doooooooooooooorrggg" Jack groaned as he felt his entire body start to wobble as he fell forward from the major impact onto his belly, groaning heavily as he tried to push himself off of the ground and yet finding it much more comfortable to just lay their and do nothing. "Donut pleassee" moaned Jack, suddenly feeling incredibly strong hunger carvings! Then with a snap, he was back to his old self in his human body; and not with an enormous amount of weight.

"Ha ha ha! I must say, your all providing me with so much entertainment, I think I may just keep thing up like the way they are! This is more funny when i removed Celestia's mane and turned it into some ice cream! Mmmm, it certainly was tasty enou..." Discord started to lament on his past prankings, but was cut off when suddenly he was attacked by Twilight and Jack!

Standing firm side by side with Jack, Twilight slowly glanced up at him with a small smirk; eager to put herself to the test. If anypony had told her that this was going to be the actual battle with Discord; she'd probably say "Well, what did you expect? God of Chaos". In all honesty, she was surprised that he wasn't killing them outright since it seemed clear that he could if he wanted. "But of course if he did that, then who would he have left to play with" she grumbled lightly; rolling her eyes that at the fact that he was keeping them around because they made him laugh. In a way, she felt sorta honored that the god of chaos was spending so much time with them; but at the same time she was really annoyed! Feeling her horn charge up with magic, she watched as Jack aimed his palm at Discord; fire blazing around it! "Three, two...one go" Twilight shouted; as her magic reached the the tip of her peek before firing!

Discord snorted in a bored tone; shaking his head as he asked "Really, haven't you tried this already? I mean really, what is this going to do except oooh..i dunno..nothing?! So why waste your..ACK" Discord gasped as rather than the magical attacks striking him, they instead collided against each other in mid air; the high destiny from Jakes fire combined with Twilight magic somehow..creating a smoke screen. Eyes averting to the left and right, surprised by this clever thinking; Discord shook his head. "Good one, catching me off guard. But you know I can see through this? So really, your just wasting your time before I..ACK" he managed to get out before he was attacked!

"Talk, talk, talk...you sure love running that mouth of yours don't you" Jack sneered, as he managed to sneak up behind Discord and get him into a headlock, squeezing his neck harshly. "Why don't you shut your mouth for once or..better yet; get rid of it" Jack laughed, as he reached over towards Discords mouth; getting a hand into it as he pulled and..yoink! Yanked his mouth right off from his face, as apparently the crazy laws of reality that had been applied to this world had allowed it to bs so.

Landing, Jack laughed "Yeah thats right big guy! Howd you like tha..AGGG" Jack screamed in pain as the mouth reacted, bitting into his arm! Gripping it, he hissed in pain as it refused to budge; forcing it off as the mouth started to chase after him in a comedic style!

"Ha! That did abosulety nothing! Now do you see that..wait a sec..WHAT ARE YOU" Discord's mouth demanded, feeling something was being removed from his body. Turning to face it, he was shocked to see the chest plate that he had been wearing that helped double his powers; being removed by a skittish Fluttershy, and a determined Rainbow Dash!

"Cmon you stupid piece of junk" swore Rainbow in frustration, trying her best to unhook the piece of metal from Discords chest. Hearing the familiar click of an undoing strap, she smirked as the the chest plate became loose; falling from Discords chest and as Rarity leaped up and caught it in mid air; strapping the piece of equipment around her chest! "Go for it Rarity" cheered Rainbow Dash, watching as the effects took place.

Rarity let out a gasp of shock, feeling her whole body changing. Her usually well groomed, and stylized mane became wild and crazy! The pupils within her eyes started to spin in a style similar to that of Screwball. Her mane became a darker shade of violet, her tail also following suit. Gripping her forehead as if she was having the mother of all headaches, Rarity groaned as she glanced up and let out a high pitched giggle; before covering it up with a cough. "Ugh, this is really hard" Rarity complained, as she tried to keep a clear head. "Feels like theirs another side of me thats aching to deal out some fashion to this world, whilst another knows that I need to focus" she managed to get out.

Discord's mouth reunited with his body, as he glowered; completely appalled at what had just happened. Feeling completely indign ate that the ponies had the audacity to trick him in such a manner, he grinned his teeth slowly. For the worst part was, that he couldn't simply snap his fingers and reclaim the armor since its magical attributes were more powerful then him! And the only reason that it was able to work was because he had gotten it on the old fashion way! That, and it had doubled his powers. Quickly covering his anger with a snort, he waved his claw dismisivly like someone who had just gotten dirt on the rug and brushed it underneath it.

"Tch, Im not worried in the slightest you know. You might have gotten control of something oh so powerful but..can you handle it? From the looks of it, dear Rarity is having habit of trouble maintaining her sanity. For one like me whose already Cuckoo; its a simple matter. However, the armor brings out non-insane ponies..insane side. So sure, use it to double your powers...but how long before you succumb to its insanity" leered Discord, taunghtingly Rarity.

"Shu..shut up! You think that just because that your the god of chaos, that it gives you the right to act like an undignified brute! Well, your in for a rude awakening Discord" Rarity declared haughtily; wondering exactly how much power the armor gave her. Gathering up energy of a dark violet sphere, she unleashed it as the beam went flying, smacking directly into Discords chest; causing him to wince in pain from the surprise attack! "Ahh! So you can be hurt? Well..whoop-de-doo! A new hairstyle for you" declared Rarity, firing once more at Discord; her beam striking his head! "Muahwaha! That looks lovely" giggled Rarity, struggling against her new crazy side at the sight of Discord with a beehive hairstyle!

Jack smirked ideally at the sight of a distraught Discord, snapping his fingers to remove himself of the hideous hairstyle. If he was alot weaker now without the armor, maybe his attacks could actually hurt him! True, even without it he was plenty tough! But that was when he was certain he was in control of the fight. "Well, thats about to end. Prepare yourself for an ass kicking" taunted Jack; deciding to power up his usual flame swords; dubbing them pyro blades! Forming them into the style of twin katanas, he watched as the swords took shape into actually steel...crimson steel, but steel nonetheless. "Didn't know i could do that" muttered Jack to himself. Turning back to face Discord; he charged with both swords in his hands; leaping into the air over a surprised Discord!

"TAKE THIS" Jack shouted, slamming his...bouquet of flowers into Discords face; roses flying everywhere. His eyes fluttered for a few moments as his brain tried to register what the fuck had just happened. He was about to slash Discord in the face when his swords had transformed into flowers! Who was the one that...uh oh...

If Rarity had ever heard of the saying "power corrupts abosulety" then she'd probably have realized that putting on the armor to begin with was a bad idea. Perhaps playing keep up with it, or putting it on a pony whose mind frame was abit more eccentric like Pinkies, then yes that would have worked. However, in her current state of mind combined with her desires; she could see that the world and everypony/everything in it was in desperate need of a fashion change!

"Tsk, Tsk, this just isn't going to do" Rarity tsked, waving her hoof in a annoyed manner. Her lips curled into a wide grin, so wide that it appeared that almost every single tooth was showing. "In this world, beauty and fashion matters. This..this uncouth place reeks! Some pony needs to introduce abit of fashion to this world...and thats pony is going to be me" giggled Rarity in another high pitched giggle.

"Oh no, that isn't't't good. That isn't good at all" Jack moaned softly, his eyes slowly shifting over towards Pinkie Pie who was staring at Rarity with a curious smile. Discord had said that only a crazy mind could handle the amour right? Well their was no pony crazier then Pinkie. Only difference was that Pinkie was a friend of his, so therefore that would make it easier. Hard part was getting the armor away from Rarity. We gotta get that armor off of Rarity, onto Pinkie. Her crazy little mind outagh be able to handle it" Jack muttered to Twilight, who nodded in return to Jacks plan.

"YOU! Look at those dirty clothes! YOU NEED TO LOOK SHARP" Rarity demanded, the armor healing to power her horn up as it glowered dangerously, and fired in Jacks direction! Pressing her hooves against themselves in an excited manner, she giggled as her beam hit Jack; placing him in a black suit; with a red vest; hair slicked back and all neat. "Now thats quiet handsome, but you...mah goodness, look at you! Your the one in the most desperate need of something neat and orderly" Rarity shrieked in alarm, her eyes derping in cicles as she glared at Discord.

"OOoh, oof...stupid suit. Hard to move in..and its fused to my skin; cant tear it to shreds. Nice, nice" mumbled an irrated teenager as he was unable to grab Rarity and get the armor. "Hey Twilight. Could you, and the others..oh your already doing it; cool" commented Jack as Twilight had rushed past him and was charging at her friend.

"Rarity" Twilight spoke softly, trying to keep her from losing her head as she raised her hooves in a gesture of peace. Smiling weakly, she remarked "We're your friends alright? All we want to do is take that hideous armor off of you, and put it on somepony with a more umm...acceptable mind set" Twilight noted, as she aimed her eyes over at Pinkie Pie. "Sooo, can you just stay their for a moment and let us take that armor of..WHOA" she gasped when her mane was zapped! It had gone from completely straight, to a stlizyed Mohawk that looked alot like how her mane looked when it had ended up burnt. In Rarity's new twisted mind, it was fashionable.

"Oh no, no way! Your not gonna change anything about me" declared Rainbow Dash, as hovered high up into the air before charging straight down towards the giggling Rarity, resisting the urge to roll her eyes in dismay at what had happened to her friend. Ducking, and diving over Rarity's beams; she let out a gasp of horror when she felt Rarity's beam connect with her chest; placing her in a bright blue, poofy dress. And seeing how it was stuck to her... "Oh..Oh no...you did not just place me in this" RD growled, despite knowing Rarity was her friend wanting to teach her what happened when one tried to put anything femmy on her!

Rarity however wasn't listening. She wasn't listening, because she was far too busy focusing on Pinkie PIe and trying to zap her; since she looked like a mess in her mind! Yet because of Pinkie Pies "Pinkie sense", she simply hopped to the left and right; dodging Rarity's beams with ease. "GRRR, you might be able to dodge everything now. But you cant escape my desire to make every pony in this world..A FASHOIN..." anything else she had to say was cut off when AJ had snuck up behind the fashion crazed unicorn;l and lifted her up off the ground in a surprised bear hug.

"Sorry hun, but we need to help and right now; yur the only one who can help us" AJ apologized to the struggling pony; gasping when suddenly Rarity started shooting out more of her magic at high speed in random directions in an attempt to zap AJ. However, she wasn't doing so hot what with being held by the immensely strong earth pony. Groaning, she called "Hey Pinkie! Yah mind"?

"Hmm hmm hmm, doot doot doooo..oh sorry AJ. Was just humming a cheerful little tuney wuney in my head" giggled Pinkie, hopping directly up in front of the crazed Rarity. Cheerfully, she unhooked the unicorns armor from the front; watching it slowly fall off; cracking as it collapsed against the ground. Without waiting for a response, she reached down and picked it up; placing it firmly around her chest with a satisfied squee. "OOoooo, looks so cool on me! I can see why Rarity wanted to wear this; its so awesome"! As she hooked the armor, she their was a surge of power but as expected; her mind didn't snap or go even more so insane due to her being a pretty eccentric pony to begin with sooo; lucky her really".

"Uggh, whu..what in the world happened" Rarity blinked, the swirls in her eyes vanishing as she shook her head left and right to try and get rid of any weariness that was currently plaguing her mind. Looking up slowly at her friends, she noted the strange look that they were giving her. "What? Why are you all looking at me like that" Rarity questioned, weirded out by their looks.

"You think its that simple" a low growl interrupted whatever response Rairtys friends were about to give. Slowly, everyone turned to face Discord; who was heavily annoyed at having been ignored for a couple of moments. Slowly, he rose himself up into the air; raising his hands up high; energy shooting out of his fingers as they transfered into the sky as it started to now rain cola on them. "You may have robbed me of the chest plate of Anarchy. However, my powers are still doubled thanks to the Hearts desire! So even with the chest plate gone; my powers are still superior! YOU CANT WIN" cackled Discord, his laughter echoing throughout the city.

Glowering at Discord, Jack tensed up as he got low into a fighting stance; preparing to launching himself at Discord when he froze...really..what in the world was the point in doing this?! They all knew that Discords powers were far beyond what they were capable of. So why would they...wait a sec... Glancing down at his feet, he suddenly dropped out of his fighting stance; and looked up at Discord with an almost bored lookin in his eye. "We quit" he spoke simply.

Anything that Jack had to say, any threatening thing that he had to spat out, insulting, challenging. Anything at all he would have been prepared for. Yet when he heard those two simple words leave his mouth, this through Discord off as in the middle of his laughter. Eyes widening, he spoke in a confused tone "Say what"?

All of the ponies were giving Jack a "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING" look that he ignored, hoping that they would play along. "Your clearly more powerful then all of us combined, if you wanted to you could probably snap your fingers and kill us all instantly without even batting an eyelid. You've turned both of our worlds into a whacked out amusement park just for some cheap kicks. We lack the power to challenge you so...really why are we even bothering huh"? Turning to the others, he shrugged "We're clearly no match" as he gave Twilight a wink.

Discord let out a weak, unconvincing laughter to hide his uncertainty on how to deal with the situation being presented before him as he gently scratched the bottom of his chin; trying to pass off Jacks declaration as a bluff. "Ha ha..ve..very funny Jack. You cant expect to just seriously walk away from the one whose basically destroyed both of your homes yes? Don't you want revenge on me for tricking you as Sid? Fooling you the entire time in thinking that I was your friend? What about helping your new friends in stopping me"?

"What would be the point" Twilight spoke up; catching Discord off guard; since she was the last pony that he would ever expect to hear "Whats the point"? "You've beaten us, you;ve won. Go and celebrate your victory or something. I think we can learn to get along well in this world. It will take some time too, probably will fall to the insanity like everyone else; and everypony else in the next world but...". She slowly grinned "We wont even know whats happening to us, so it wont matter if we worry or not".

"Heh heh! Sides, your really kidna cool once we get to know you in a way" Pinkie giggled, hopping up and down around her friends before turning to face Discord. "I think if we work at it, this crazed new world of yours can become like a home to us sooo..really you've done us a favor"!

Discord stared, completely shocked and put off at what he was hearing. The tone in their voices indicated that they were being truthful about what they were saying! Bu..but that wasn't how the world worked! The heroes were supposed to do whatever they could to stop the bad guy, not give up and say "Meh, can learn to live with it". TH..Thats not how it worked! "Y..You cant just give up! Thats not how its supposed to work" protested Discord, all traces of humor leaving his voice as he slowly descended down towards the ground; uncertainty evident in his voice as he tried to make sense of what was happening.. That was certainly something new, him Discord; god of chaos: trying to make sense of something.

"Watch us. Let's go everyone, Im pretty sure that they're was a tree of cotton candy back down at the bottom, and I am feeling abit peckish so..lets go" shrugged Jack ideally, turning away to leave Discord; his friends slowly following behind him.

Continuing to stare in horror at this, Discord stared down casted as his mind processed this. They gave up. He had won! It was over! Chaos ruled, order drooled! He should be jumping for joy like he had done before and yet...knowing that they weren't going to try and even stop him now completely horrified him. What was the point in living in a world of complete insanity, if no one was going to protest or try and stop it? It made everything far too easy! Far too boring! It would be abosulety no challenge and..and he couldn't stand that! Thats why he never utilized his full power to stop them! WAti, he could force them to try and stop him! Yes, that way they could...not even know what was happening; so it wouldn't be the same.

"Are you kidding me" Discord bellowed angrily in the direction of the friends as they vanished outta sight. "After everything you went through just to get up here, your calling it quits?! You cant do that! Its against the rules" Discord protested, suddenly feeling very afraid! He wasn't supposed to feel afaird! The last time he felt afraid was when..long ago when he was still a child; living in pre-Equestria when it was simply called Ponyland. He had no idea where he was going wandering through a large field until he came across Celestia and Luna. He had befriended the two of them and the three had been inseparable...until the day when they had grown up! When that had happened, and some pony had to lead the rest of them; he opted to want to rule fairly and yet the rest of the other ponies voted for Celestia and Luna..because he wasn't a pony..

It scared him, as he felt that if Luna and Celestia we're to become the rules of Ponyland, then he would be casted out by the request of the other ponies! Apart of him said that would never happen, as hsi friends wouldn't do that to him and yet his worried; angered side insisted it. In a moment of panic, he went and used his powers to stage a coup; taking control of the throne itself! With the combination of his growing hatred for those who wanted to see him banished because of what he was, and with the power itself; he became corrupted and used his powers freely to instill inanity upon the land! Until the day when Celestia and Luna rebelled, and confronted him.

They had offered him one chance to surrender himself from leadership. He refused, so they all had it out right their in the Pre-Canterlot castle! Eventually, the two sisters managed to get the upperhoof; sealing him up in a stone prison in hopes that it would change his attitude and quell his anger; for when they would want to release him. But as time went by, sealed up in his prison; his anger grew and grew; losing his rational side to his own insanity until not a shred of the sisters former friend was left! Now he thrilled,d and yearned for the attention he got when do-gooders tried to stop him!

Snapping his fingers, he made the group of friends reaper before him as he let out a shaky laughter "I..I tell yah what, how about I make it easier for you to beat me? HUh huh, then you'll have a much better chance of defeating me! I..I could lower my power, uhh..provide you with weaknesses" Discord tried to barter, but only ended up coming off as desperate as he simply couldn't accept their defeat so easily; not if it meant leaving him bored!

"Meh, I really don't see a point to any of it" Jack stated bluntly with a shrug, trying to brush off Discords begging. He got the surprise of his life when suddenly Discord grabbed him by his shirt!

"You don't understand! You cant just give up! IF ORDER DOESNT TRY TO STOP CHAOS, THEN CHAOS HAS NO PURPOSE" roared Discord in the humans face; failing to notice the edges of Jacks lips rising up into a light smirk!

"Pfft, this is way too easy...TWILIGHT! RARITY! GO FOR IT" Jack shouted, wiggling out of a shocked Discords grip; as he ducked his head to reveal the two magic users! Powering his fist with flames, he let out a laugh as he shot his palms forward; blasting Discord in the chest with the combined might of his two unicorn friends! Pumping his fist into the air, Jack let out a whoop out laughter grinning "Yeah! Thats right! Din't see that one coming did yaaCCK". Anything else he had to say was quickly cut off when Discord zoomed out of the smoke; gripping his claw around Jacks neck as he started to squeeze.

Discord wasn't annoyed, he wasn't angry..he was fucking livid! Placing a paw against Jacks face, he started to charge it with magic; intending to shoot him with so much lighting that it would make him light up like a Christmas tree! "Your going to pay for that...no more kidding around...I'LL TEACH YOU WAHT HAPPENS WHEN YOU TRICK ME" roared Discord, his paw now glowing with green energy as he was about to unleash it on Jacks head; watching the human sweat nervously. Shirking at his nervousness; he shouted "SAY GOODBYE"!

"JACK! NO" Rarity cried out in alarm, horrified at what was about to happen! Closing her eyes, she couldn't bear to watch!

"DIE" Discord shouted, firing his beam as...

*Poof*

Discords face scrunch ed up in confusion as the energy that he had unleashed poofed into a cloud of smoke, rising up past Jack whose eyes were still closed; his head still attached. Trying to summon his magic to blast the human, he grumbled "Cmon work..WORK" as he still got poofs; and nothing more. Watching Jack open his eyes; Discord growled heavily, completely befuddled by what was happening. "Why..why cant I use my magic" shouted an alarmed Discord.

A slow smirk appeared on Twilights face, stretching into a grin as she started to compose a theory. "Well...Id say this is the effects of what happens when Hearts desire wear off, or at least one of the many side effects. Temporary loss of ones magic, and powers. It must have been activated when you went and overused your powers in this dimension. In a world where magic isn't the norm, I guess theirs more rules. Rules you were able to break with your powers, and it affected us as well since he couldn't use our full extent. But with your powers gone, do you know what that means"? Slowly, every pony started to smile viciously at this; causing Discord to take a step back nervously.

"Ahh gotta say, this is gunna be good" AJ chortled, stepping up next to Twilight as she tipped her hat.

"Tch, Ive been looking forward to doing this" RD chuckled, clamping her hooves together in a cocky manner.

"Heheheh! Maybe third time will be the charm for you to not be such a meanie" giggled Pinkie as she stepped up.

"Ummm, I hope next time we meet, you wont be so umm..well crazy" Fluttershy softly stated.

Rarity finally stepped up next to the others, as she glowered "You went and tried to mess with my friends, you turned this world and ours into crazy land. You even tried to break up me and Jacky for fun. I should hate you for this...yet, all I can feel is hope that this time we'll be able to knock some sense into you".

"But..but you don't have the...I mean, you cant possible since they're not with you" proclaimed Discord, denying what was about to happen to him!

"Oh I don't think we need to have them with us" Twilight spoke softly, as she and her friends started to slowly float into the air as if being controlled by some unknown outter force! Twilight closed her eyes, focusing on nothing else but doing what had to be done. Bright with flashes slowly started to appear around their necks, as different necklace that seemed to resemble their cutie marks appeared! Twilight however instead of a necklace, had a crown appear on her forehead; as she opened her eyes; flashing as the powers started to reach their peek!

"No! NO! NOT AGAIN! NOT AGAIN" protested a horrified Discord, backing away from the ponies in terror; glancing left and right rapidly for a means of escape! A familiar tornado of rainbow light emerged from the ponies, shooting up high above him before slamming downward into the god of chaos! Instinctivly, he raised his hands in an attempt to shield himself; freeing that he would end up frozen once more. However, this was not the case.

The ponies watched in awe as when the rainbow tornado slowly vanished, they were surprised to see Discord was gone..sitting in his place; appeared to be a very young chimera like creature, who looked an awful like Discord would if he was a child. The creature glanced left and right curiously, not knowing its purpose as it slowly approached the ponies. Looking at them all curiously, he opened his mouth to speak and yet no words came out. Noticing Jack for the first time, it smiled lightly as it hugged Jacks leg, snuggling against it.

"What the..." Jack stared down in awe at the child like Discord, not knowing what to make of this. Kneeling down next to him, he asked "Discord"? The only response he got was the child Discord hugging his neck in response; causing him to blush in embarrasment as he hugged him back in confusion with one arm. Glancing back at his friends, he spoke "Okay, I was expecting something but..not this"?

_**Gonna cut it their. Some of you might be wondering about the elements of harmony thingy. Well, I found it curious how during the pilot episode that they didnt need to phsycailly have them with them in order for the powers to work. But anywayz, second to last chapter done! This week was increadibly hectic, so i hope you enjoy it! Also, went and met some real life bronies at a small meeting for the first tiem. It was alotta fun! Anyway, epilogue is next week. Till then!**_

_**Btw, heres what Discord looks like as a child: ?qh=§ion=&q=Discord+Celestia#/d4ead4z**_


	38. Epilogue

_**Disclaimer: At this point you all pretty much know the drill yes? I have to say I've had fun doing this fanfiction right before school starts for me. The opportunity to do this before season three starts was also really cool! Here's to season three!**_

_**Epilogue: End of the road**_

"Ow! Quit it" Jack grumbled as he tried to brush the kid Discord off of his leg, suddenly wishing that he was either able to understand what he was saying, or was grown up so Jack wouldn't have to deal with this nonsense. "Or maybe he can, and he's just messing with me for laughs" muttered Jack in a sigh. It had been a few hours since he and the team had beaten Discord, and restored New York City back to normal! It seemed that when Discord had been revered back to his kid; whatever he had done to the city seemed to have worn off and due to Twilights theory; what wore off here had probably worn off in Equestria.

So after stepping through the portal that Twilight and Rarity had barely been able to make; they stepped back into what Twilight hoped would be a normal world once again; since she was quite honestly tired of chaos and anarchy. If she saw any more of it; she was certain that she'd have a second nervous breakdown! Her eyes shifted around the room of Canterlots palace, in the chambers that they had left when they had first exited to begin with.

"Aww, he's actually kinda cute when he's not trying to change anything to chaos; or go around altering things" Fluttershy cooed gently; rubbing the bottom of Discords chin in a cute fashion as she was earned with a light smile from the chimera like creature. "What I don't understand is how why he ended up as a child rather than as a stone statue once again" Fluttershy questioned. placing a hoof to her chin curiously.

Approaching, Twilight watched as Discord climbed up Jacks leg and started to mess up his hair playfully; earning an irrated grunt from the human. "Hmm, it's just a theory really but I'll give it a try anyway. Maybe the elements of harmony felt that rather than imprisoning him in stone again; the best way for him to learn was to make him start over. So the elements regressed Discord to an age before he became corrupted; to an age where he was less err..crazy. Therefore; he could grow up the right way and learn to use his powers in a different way"?

"Less crazy huh" Rainbow Dash commented as she hovered up next to Discord; watching as the chimera poked and prodded at Jacks head. Turning to face Dash, the creature grinned mischievously as he snapped his finger; placing a huge pink bowtie in Dashes mane; causing her to eep in surprise as she quickly brushed it out of her mane in irritation. "May not be an adult going around trying to destroy everything cause he's bored; but even as a kid he was still abit of a pain" Dash grumbled lightly in irritation.

"What I'm more worried about is whether or not that he's gonna eventually grow up to be how he was before? Unhinged, uncounted and wanting revenge for anything" Rarity mused softly as she watched Discord climb down Jack and next to her. Giggling lightly in response, she reached over and gave Discord a gentle hug; smiling lightly as she responded "Ooh, I can't stay mad at him when he's this cute"!

"Humph" Jack huffed in response, crossing his arms as he glanced away as he was determined not to be swayed just because Discord was a kid again! Heck, he just hopped that in his head he was lonely so he'd make them all kids just so he could have beings to play with. "God, that's probably gonna happen sometime in the future; with my luck I don't doubt It at all".

"Uhh, looks like we're not alone everypony" blushed Applejack as the group suddenly became aware of the huge crowd of ponies! The cheering and praise that they were giving the group was so loud; it was like an encore at the end of a KISS concert! It looked like they had arrived several hours or so after the carnage had ended since it appeared the place had been cleared up abit since the last time they were there. Amongst the crowd of praising ponies we're familiar faces! Shining Armor and Princess Cadence we're hugging each other gently as they waved to the group. Zecora chuckled at the applause as she chose to simply nod in their direction. Big Macintosh smiled softly; as he gave waved at his little sis. Heck, even Derpy was there as she flew in front of Jack; dropping him a muffin before flying back into the crowd.

"YOU GUYS" cried Spike, who emerged from the crowd as he rushed forwards towards Twilight! Laughing happily as he hugged Twilights leg, who hugged him back; he quickly let go in an attempt to brush off any girly feelings; shrugging "Eh, was worried about you guy's after you left. Figured you could use some help an..".

"Oh c'mere you" Twilight beamed as she pulled the tiny dragon into another hug; not buying his tough guy act for a second! Glancing up; she giggled as she was pulled into a sibling hug by Shining Armor; praising his little sister for saving them all once again as Cadence opted for

Spike silently let go of Twilight, approaching Jack with a firm glance, who rivaled his glance back. "Well, I guess it's not really my place to get in the way of what is..but you'd better be good to her; or I'll hurt you" Spike threatened good naturally.

Any verbal response that Jack had in mind was quickly cut off as three speedy missile's tackle hugged him in midair; causing the human to fall backwards in shock! Glancing up, he couldn't hide a smile as he reached forward and playfully messed up the manes of the Cutie Mark Crusaders; pleased to see that they were alright.

"Ah can't believe it! Ya'll do it! Great job" Applebloom cheered, jumping up and down as she let out a yippee in each jump!

"Ha ha! I bet you all wiped the floor with Discord, though RD probably rocked the most" praised Scootaloo. Aware of what she had just said; she smiled sheepishly "But you all did great too yeah"!

"Spectacular! Wonderful! Everything that's great! You were great big brother" grinned Sweetie Belle as she leaped up and hugged around her adoptive brother's neck; beaming as he hugged her gently back in return! "I don't know how, but we weren't really affected by Discord's powers so when everypony was going crazy and suddenly stopped; we knew something had gone right"!

"Heh, I'm glad to see you're all alright" Jack chuckled as he sat up! Listening to them question on what happened to Discord, Jack became nervous as his eyes shifted to Discord who he was attempting to hide behind his back. "Ahh, ha ha..thats kinda a funny story actually..you see he..ack" Jack eeped when Discords tiny horn pricked his back; causing Jack to fall forward! "Ummm, here he is" Jack weakly smiled in response to the shocked looks on everypony's face.

"TH..thats Discord?! Whut in the hay happened to im" Applebloom gawked as she spoke what was pretty much on everypony's minds!

"I believe that's a rather fair question" interrupted an eloquent voice, causing the ponies and dragon who to back up as Princess Celestia stepped forward before the group; Princess Luna beside her. Both of their eyes were gazing down at Discord; who in response was looking back up at them with curiosity and..was it familiarity?

Celestia gently approached the child like Discord; as memories began to stir within her mind. Memories of when she was a foal..."_Hiya! Heh heh, you look funny" giggled the foal Celestia; as she pointed with a curious hoof at the odd looking creature. The creature huffed in response, crossing his claw and paws and with a snort; turned away from her. "Heh heh, do you want to be my friend" she politely asked? _"Discord" spoke a surprised Celestia; examine her former friend with awe. Her eyes slowly went back up to the others "How did this happen" she requested curiously.

"Well, when we used the elements of harmony on him again; we simply expected him to return to his stone prison. Instead when the combined elements struck him; it ended up with him being as he is now" Twilight explained nervously as she watched Discord float up into the air next to her; snapping his fingers as her mane was replaced with Rainbow Dashes as he giggled before switching them back.

"HMm hmm, it appears he's still the prankster he was when he was young. The elements of harmony are primarily used to as a judgmental form based on ones deeds whether they be good or bad; and seek to exact the right soft of consequences; again whether they be good or bad. I believe that instead of turning him back into stone; the elements rather transformed Discord back towards the age that he was when he stills our friend". The princess despite her status; couldn't' help but let out a gentle awe as Discord hugged one of her legs.

"But what good would turning him back into a child do? Isn't he just gonna grow back up into what he was before" Dash brought up as she watched Discord continue to hug Celestia.

Luna stepped forward, as she piped up "Mayhap not this time? Twas our fault when we we're younger. Rather than stick by a true friend and let him stay, we listened to the majority of ponies who at the time thought he was nothing but trouble. If we had been more accepting at the time, and instead had chosen to try and help him when he was in power; maybe none of this would have ever happened". Lowering her head sorrowfully, Luna sat next to Discord as she hugged him lightly against her chest. "He'll grow up again as he is immortal like us still, it will take time…and from the way he's acting; he remembers who we are when we were friends. So when he's all grown; he'll be our friend once again rather than our enemy".

"I have to know though! What was it like everypony? In Jacks world! Was it really dangerous? Did you see a lot of humans, or was everything like it was here at the time" questioned Cadence eagerly who was really curious on what Jacks world was like.

"Oh it was really super cool Princess Cadence! Well, if you take out the everything was crazy and trying to kill us thingy! And all the weirdo stuff like us being chased by ghost, gators, gang members! But apart from that it was really really cool" Pinkie brought up eagerly!

"Ah have to admit though, there were times when I didn't think we were gunna make it. Specially in the final fight with Discord! He out powered us in every way, especially with the Hearts Desire effect and the chest plate he wus wearin. If it wasn't for us using that reverse psych stuff on im; why I don't think we woulda beaten him" AJ explained.

"Oh c'mon, you guys mighta been worried; but I wasn't at all! I knew we'd take down Discord and put him in his place no sweat! Hay, it was me who was doing most of the…What? I'm joking" Rainbow Dash sheepishly grinned at the stares she was getting. "Mostly" she whispered softly.

"So, Discords gonna be growing up all over again huh? I wonder how long it takes for a..a Dragonqu..Draqu..Chimera like him to grow up fully? A year? Ten years? A thousand" questioned Jack as he got next to Discord on a knee as he gave him a curious stare. Having his stare met; he grumbled "I'm really hoping that he doesn't start following us around like a lost puppy or nothing or use his powers to prank us".

"Really…well I just hope when that time comes; he'll be more inclined to use his tricks for good rather then evil" Rarity curtly replied, as she watched Discord give them all a big smile. "Heh heh, well when he was younger it seems he was quiet friendly "Rarity spoke up.

"Aww, he was adorable when he was a child" Fluttershy cooed; pulling Discord into a hug as she gently nuzzled his cheek.

"Gaah, alright enough with the mushy stuff. You're making me sick" scoffed Jack as he crossed his arms in annoyance. Watching as his friends gave him a weird look; he shrugged "What"? It's true! In fact, I've noticed that the majority of my friends happen to be female. Not that I don't have a problem with that or nothing; but I seriously need to hang out less with you guys". Eyeing back as Big Macintosh, Shining, and Spike approached; he chuckled "Least I have some guy friends to hang out with who aren't into the mushy stuuaaaCK" he cried out when the three of them pushed Jack into a hug fest from the mane six! "Oh you guys suck! Yah hear me! You suck" Jack complained with a friendly scowl at the three!

Hearing a tut from Princess Celestia, everypony quickly got control of themselves as the mane six and Jack lined up next to each other, the crowd quickly reorganizing and becoming silent as they awaited for their princess to speak. Princess Celestia had to resist the urge to chuckle when the mane six bowed before her; as Jack let out a gasp before reluctantly bowing; clearly despite likening her. "Everypony! My loyal subjects! We're it not for the courageous bravery of these seven you see before us; none of us would be standing here today! Through their loyalty, trust, and friendship; they have overcome many trials and triumphs!

As the crowd applauded, Princess Luna raised a hoof to silence them as she then piped up "Tis true! When thy mind had been altered; made a prisoner by Discords malevolence; these seven journeyed into another world that they knew little about, save for one! Although they all deserve a special commendation for their deeds; one in particular deserves special attention: Jack…step forward please". Watching with silent amusement at the human approached, he bowed her head to Luna as she stopped him. "Please friend, do not bow" she requested with a gentle hoof to his shoulder. Turning back to the audience, she announced "Twas through the knowledge that Jack possessed of the human world; that they were able to reach their destination and succeed. Jack is not an equestrian like us, he could have simply stood by or flat out refused to help and yet he did so anyway! All for the sake of his friends! In thine humble opinion, this makes Equestria his home just as much as Earth"!

Another thunderous applause erupted from the ponies, causing Jack to wince in response from all the attention he was getting! He had to admit that, he was surprised with himself at how far he had come. When he had first arrived in Equestria, he didn't care about a lot of things. He didn't have a lot of friends, and he certainly hadn't opened himself up enough for him to fall in love. Yet, so much had changed and looking back on all of it; he couldn't bring himself to regret any of it. Bowing his head respectfully towards Luna, he slowly smiled as with a mumble "You do me umm..honor and uhh..well thanks".

"Henceforth Jack, I declare you, Twilight, Rainbow, Fluttershy, Rarity, Apple, and Pinkie heroes of Equestria for your heroic deeds! Congratulations" Jack heard Celestia declare; blushing deeper at all the praise as his friends trotted up next to him. Placing an arm around Rarity's neck, he chuckled "Ahh, I guess since I'm living here for good; I'll have to see where I can stay" he started to explain, but was cut off as Rarity placed a hoof against his mouth.

"Shush, you're not going anywhere. I'm sure when my mother and father show up; they'll be delighted to have you stay with us and in all honesty; I wouldn't have it any other way" Rarity cooed as gently trailed a hoof up his chest.

"R..Rarity, not in front of everyone" Jack eeped as he whispered into her ear in a husky tone "Heh heh, what do you say after the celebrations are all done; we find some place quiet so I can ahh..express my thanks for your offer? If it would please thy princess of course". He raised a brow as he watched her squee in delight at being called a princess.

"Why certainly my prince. After all, you will need to pay..tribute to my generosity of letting you stay. It would only be the polite thing to do" whispered back in a sultry tone; gently rubbing her hoof against his chest. Feeling something brush against her hoof; her eyes slowly averted down as her eyes expanded in glee at the sight of a beautiful dimaond being placed into her hooves.

"Oh I won't argue with that Princess Rarity. You would not believe what Ive been going through trying to get this to you as a gift" Jack panted, as he gently locked his lips with Rarity; thinking to himself "Good lord, I'm really happy with how this all turned out; but the way this is ending: it's like something out of a corny fairytale. I'm really hoping something happens to off put all of..".

"Rarity! Wh..what in the world are you kissing" piped up a surprised voice; causing Jack and Rarity to immediately stop kissing as Rarity gasped in shock at the sight of her parents emerging from the crowd; looking at the two of them in a mixture of awe, confusion and..happiness? Rarity let out a nervous chuckle, as she slowly eyed Jack who was also laughing weakly as he glanced back at the others for support!

"Ummm, hello mother and father. I..uhhh, we can explain..can..can't we everypony" Rarity questioned her friends; who all trotted next to the two as Rarity could see from the looks on her parent's faces; that they wanted an explanation. "Well..it's like this" Rarity began, explaining on what Jack was.

As she did so, Jack glanced up briefly at the window; observing the sun that shinned through it. "Hmm, looks a lot like Earth's. Its gonna be rough living here from now on. I've managed so far so, I think I can make it..heh who am I kidding; I know I can make it cause..I have something now…something that I didn't have back home". A slow smirk rose to his lips as he reached an arm around Rarity and gently pulled her into a hug. "I'm not gonna think it though, it's too corny and too cliché" Jack hissed silently, as let out a chortle; nuzzling his cheek against Rarity's who nuzzled back; secretly overjoyed that he had found love in a world of magic, and wonders…

_**The End…For now.**_

_**Whew, all done! And with just two days before college starts up again. I certainly had a lot of fun writing this fan fiction, and am grateful to all who favored, and reviewed this story! Your ideas when I needed help, or suggestions on how what to run into the story was very helpful and appreciated. For those ideas that I didn't use, perhaps I'll be able to use them in the sequel story. I'm still unsure on when I'm going to start it, or what it will be about. An idea that I have is that it will be a mixture between Earth and Equestria; but that's merely a prototype idea. But yes, once again; thank you all for your support; and I'll see you all later! Byee! *Waves***_


	39. U and D update

_**Update: A/N: Alright. School is resuming for me once again tomorrow. I don't have a lot of classes this time around, so during some of my free time, I do want to write another fanfic. What I wanted to do is to do a sequel to The Urchin and the Diva. The problem with that, however, is that I cant seem to think up a good main plot to pick up the sequel with. I don't want to force write a sequel only for it to end up being garbage. So what I need, is an idea to pull myself out of this rut! I am in need of a plot involving Jack and the Mane Six. I am very open minded to anything unique or strange, and will look over your ideas. If not a sequel to Urchin and the Princess, then perhaps a new story all together that has nothing to do with it but does involve a human character. Please PM or post in the reviews any ideas you have. Thank you for your time. **_

**_Update 1/14: A/N: I forgot to add on that for the next story, that I wish for it to involve the Mane Six and Jack, not Jack and the Mane Six. What I mean is that the first plot I did, Jack was the main character. For the next one however, he'll be important, but won't be anymore important than the canon heroes since I don't wish to overshadow them like I felt I did in the last. I've already gotten a couple good ideas that I might be able to work something off of, but nothing solid yet._**


	40. U and D update 2

_**Update: A/N: I forgot to add on that for the next story, that I wish for it to involve the Mane Six and Jack, not Jack and the Mane Six. What I mean is that the first plot I did, Jack was the main character. For the next one however, he'll be important, but won't be anymore important than the canon heroes since I don't wish to overshadow them like I felt I did in the last. I've already gotten a couple good ideas that I might be able to work something off of, but nothing solid yet.**_

_**Update: A/N: Well, Ive been given a lot of great ideas so far and I will be sure to thank those who have given me these ideas once I start up this story! I am currently working on the first chapted, and I'm making progress. I am in need however of one last major thing: I am in need of a beta author who can look over each chapter that I do, and tell me what they think is fine and needs to be changed or added. On a minor note, I also need "slice of life" ideas involving the Mane Six and Jack. Like any everyday problems or situations that the ponies are having and through the help of thier friends are they able to solve it. **_


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